Other materials like copper, brass, and bronze, without which humanity’s course would have been quite different. It left out the other super important superalloy, titanium, which you can think of as aluminum on steroids. Nor did it delve into the polymers. ABS, the stuff of Legos and drain pipes, is both moldable and machinable and offers excellent toughness and impact resistance. Engineering-grade plastics—Acetal is one notable example—are good for everything from gears to sporting goods. Nylon is used to make nylons (of course) but its combination of strength and flexibility turned the course of World War II when it replaced silk as the material of choice for parachutes. There’s also polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high- and low-density polyethylene, and more. The point is that the choice of materials is broad, so it makes sense, as a parts designer, to explore what’s available, what it’s good for, and how it can be processed. More than 40 different grades of plastic and metal materials are available at Protolabs.
