Materials Engineering

Aluminum:

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In 1886, Charles Martin Hall and his sister Julia discovered a way to produce aluminum through electrolysis – which was efficient and cost effective. Hel patented his process and around the same time, the same process is discovered by chemist Paul T. Héroult of France. Today, the Hall-Héroult Process is the method every aluminum producer in the world uses to create aluminum.

The advent of aviation in the early 1900s gave aluminum an expanded role as it was so important to developing lightweight airplanes. Today, aluminum is used in many materials including cans, foils, kitchen tools, window frames, vehicle parts, furniture, and art! It also does not rust, is very strong, and the process of creating aluminum has been improved over the years to require less electricity, so it is even more efficient!

Explore more:

• Great Moments in Materials Science and Engineering
• How Aluminum is Made

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Virtually all industries demand people with backgrounds in materials engineering. They contribute advances in the auto, aerospace, construction, manufacturing, electronics, computer, and telecommunications industries by developing new or improved metals, plastics, ceramics, semiconductors and composites. They may need to monitor impurities in steel destined for an assembly line, improve the materials used in a car bumper, or developing new processes for delivering medication.

In addition to educational institutions, government, and healthcare, there are three main sectors that employ materials engineers:

• Primary Metals Producing (generally large companies such as steel, ceramic, or glass manufacturers or those creating and improving polymers)
• Manufacturing (focused on transportation, electrical or electronics, consumer goods, biomaterials, and computers)
• Service (companies that offer research and development, testing, or engineering services to other firms or governments)

The following is just a sample of some companies, in addition to government agencies, which employ materials engineers:

• 3M Company
• ALCOA
• Argonne National Laboratory
• BASF Corporation
• Bechtel
• BF Goodrich
• Corning Incorporated
• Deere & Company, Inc.
• Dow Chemical
• Eastman Kodak
• FMC Corporation
• Ford Motor Company
• General Electric
• Georgia Pacific
• IBM
• International Paper
• Motorola
• Procter & Gamble
• Sherwin-Williams
• Specialized Bicycle Components
• Texas Instruments
• Xerox

For most engineering careers:

• a bachelor’s degree is required
  

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• a master’s degree may be recommended for those specializing or interested in management
• students may also start with a related associate degree and then move on to a bachelor’s when they have settled on a degree path.
• many students are required to participate in a co-op program while at university to gain real world experience in their chosen field.
• education doesn’t really stop…engineers need to stay current as technology changes and materials and processes improve over time.
• many professional societies offer certificates and coursework to support continuing education for their members.

At the undergraduate level, examples of courses include crystal structures, thermodynamics, mechanics of materials, polymer and composite processing, materials engineering design.

It is important to select an engineering degree that has been accredited to meet basic standards.  Find out more and browse TryEngineering’s global database of accredited engineering and computing programs.

In 1909, Leo Baekeland synthesized the thermosetting hard plastic Bakelite – this material marked the beginning of the modern plastics industry and was the first real synthetic, mass-produced plastic. It was used in the manufacture of many everyday items including radios, telephones, light switches (it is heat resistant), and even jewelry – and it is still highly collectible today.

His invention was brought to light by entering a competition to come up with a more durable material from which to make pool or billiard balls. Apparently at the time, when hit just the right way, pool balls exploded!

The process eventually would lead the way to the development of polymers and other plastics which have revolutionized product development globally. It is challenging to identify a product that doesn’t include one form or another of plastic.

Find out more:

• Bakelite: The First Synthetic Plastic
• The Bakelite Breakthrough: How Plastics came of age!”
• British Plastics Federation: History of Plastics

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Clubs, competitions, and camps are some of the best ways to explore a career path and put your skills to the test in a friendly-competitive environment.

Clubs:

• Many schools have environmental or chemistry clubs or opportunities for students to get together and work on challenges. Materials engineering requires a strong base of chemistry understanding which will give a good foundation to education in materials science and engineering.

 Competitions: 

• ASM Undergraduate Design Competition is based on the submission of design-focused project reports that describe work that was performed as part of the capstone course.
• Virtual Ceramic Mug Drop Contest allows students to demonstrate their prowess in designing and manufacturing a ceramic mug possessing high strength, mechanical reliability, and/or aesthetics
• International Metallographic Contest is designed to advance the science of microstructural analysis by providing an opportunity for microstructural analysts to display their work and communicate significant scientific information

Camps:

• TryEngineering Summer Institute, US: Attend the TryEngineering Summer Institute to further your core engineering skills.
• ASM Materials Camps offer hands-on discovery for the college bound, and are offered at no cost to attendees
• Eisenman Materials Camp: Students work on several group projects and experiments throughout the week-long camp and are instructed by “Materials Mentors” — professional members of ASM International from a variety of scientific backgrounds and industries

Many universities offer summer engineering experiences. Reach out to your local university’s engineering department to see what they offer.

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Did you know you can explore materials engineering in your community? Consider the design of bicycle helmets and how they have changed over time:

• What different materials are in your bicycle helmet?
• What properties of the materials are the most important?
• Research how helmets have changed over time. Do you think materials advances have helped improve safety? How?
• In addition to the various materials, how has the shape or construction of bicycle helmets changed? Why does the shape of components matter?
• How would you think bicycle helmets might change in five years? Ten years? Fifty years? Do you think electronics might be incorporated in helmets? New materials? What would you like to see the helmet of the future look like?

Find out more:

• The History of Bicycle Helmets

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Be sure to reach out to professional societies focused on materials engineering where you live. Not all will offer membership to pre-university students, but most offer groups for university students, and certainly offer online resources to help you explore the field.

Some examples of groups focusing on materials engineering:

• Asia Pacific Society for Materials Research
• ASM International
• American Ceramic Society
• European Materials Research Society
• The Materials Information Society
• Materials Research Society
• The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society
• The Federation of European Materials Societies