Optimizer
Optimizer is a tool for selecting the most suitable materials based on your project requirements. Setting your criteria and prioritizing these according to your needs and constrains. Once established, the system will analyze the material data and provide you with a ranked list of materials that best match your designated criteria, ensuring you make informed and efficient choices. The degree of matching is provided both in terms of rank and score on a base 100 for the number of matched criteria.
Moreover, Optimizer offers advanced plotting options that enhance your decision-making process by allowing you to visualize the results in various formats. These visualizations provide an intuitive understanding of how each material aligns with your needs, facilitating clearer communication and stronger rationale for your selection.
Modes
Optimizer offers several operating modes to make material selection easier
Total Materia Mode Lets you place your criteria to select the most suitable material among all materials available in Total Materia
Material List Mode Lets you load one of your materials lists and rank these materials on their match with your use case. This mode is especially useful if you have a predefined list of materials made by a colleague or when you are constrained to use materials from a specific standard.
Equivalent Mode Permits you to start with the properties of a material of which you want to identify an equivalent in another region, a replacement or to find a better performing material.
The following material types and groups are currently not available in Optimizer : Composites, Additive Manufacturing, Coatings, Adhesives and Joints, Lubricants/Coolants, Ferroalloys and Sintered metals.
Criteria
Adding editing your criteria
Adding criteria can be done using the "Add New" button in the left panel.
The modification of existing criteria can be directly done from the left panel. Do not forget to press apply to run the algorithm again.
Setting your criteria
Criteria are sorted in categories for easier identification. The settings available depends on the type of your criterion:
Numerical Properties
Target: - Lower is better - Higher is better - Range (min and/or max needed)
Min and Max for specific constrains [optional]
Multi Attributes
Drop down: Select item(s), e.g. forms, regional availability... The algorithm treats links them in OR, so at least one of the items selected will be fulfilled in the results
Importance: Define how much weight (0.1 to 10) a criteria has compared to the others
Simple Attributes
Importance: Define how much weight (0.1 to 10) a criteria has compared to the others
Mandatory: if the criteria must be fulfilled.
In Equivalent mode, Drop-downs or Min and Max field are prefilled with the origin material data, feel free to modify these to match your search, e.g.:
Change the region or standard if you search for an equivalent in a different region of the world
In the case you search for a better alternative, remove one or both boundaries. Remove the Max boundary if your criteria is set to higher is better to find better performing materials. Remove Min density if you search lighter materials ("lower is better").
Criteria available by categories
Viewing the results
On the right side of the screen, the results of the algorithm are presented. They can be viewed in 2 forms: a table ranking the materials fulfilling your criteria and a configurable plot to analyze the results.
Understanding the results
Each material receives a score and a rank based on its overall performance in fulfilling the chosen criteria. The score is calculated as a weighted sum, where the importance of each criterion affects its contribution to the total score. For attribute-based criteria (see above), materials either receive full amount of points or zero, depending on whether they meet the condition specified. For numerical properties, there are three scenarios:
Target "Range": Materials within the specified range of minimum and maximum values receive the full amount of points.
Target "Lower is Better": The algorithm identifies both the highest and lowest property values among the materials. Points are assigned using a linear equation, where the material with the lowest value receives full points, while the one with the highest value receives none.
Target "Higher is Better": The algorithm identifies both the highest and lowest property values among the materials. Points are assigned using a linear equation, where the material with the highest value receives full points, while the one with the lowest value receives none.
Result Table
The table allows view the ranked list of materials. As for any Material List, columns can be added or reorganized, a part or the full list can be saved, forwarded to other search tools, added to Green Line Compliance Assessor, LCA or Carbon Footprint, or simply added to Report Builder.
The table presents a ranked list of materials, offering users a variety of options for interaction and customization. Users have the flexibility to add new columns or reorganize existing ones to better suit their needs. The table enables the saving of either a part or the entire list, which can be effortlessly forwarded to other search tools for further research. Additionally, items can be seamlessly forwarded into the Green Line Compliance Assessor, LCA or Carbon Footprint. Integrate results into the Report Builder to document the material selection process. Users can compile selection criteria, scores, and rankings with visualizations. Customize reports by including specific data, graphs, and insights for clearer communication and decision-making.
Hover the score of each material will display a tooltip showing how well the material has performed in each criteria. The criteria are ordered by importance.
Plot
This option allows to visualize the results in different ways to either refine your criteria and identify the best materials. Plots can be added to a Report or directly exported in png format. Several plots types are available:
The materials plotted are by default the Top 20 best scoring materials. The user can however select other materials from the list of results to plot these instead. To regenerate the graph with different materials enter the graph setting and press Apply.
Bi-plot
This type of plot is designed to give users the capability to explore and analyze materials by allowing the selection of two specific properties. By doing so, users can observe how the materials are distributed in relation to the properties and different material groups. This can be particularly useful for identifying alternative materials that might have been overlooked due to the criteria initially set. Likewise, it allows for the configuration of more restrictive filters, which can further refine and narrow down the selection of materials based on specific requirements.
Material groups are organized and presented visually using convex hulls, providing a clear boundary around each group. At first glance, only the top-level groups are visible, but users can interact with the plot by clicking on a group or expanding it via the legend to reveal deeper subgroups. This hierarchical view enables users to drill down into more detailed layers of material selection.
Each material is represented as a point plotted at the coordinates that correspond to the values of the properties used for calculating its score. To help users easily identify these materials, a legend is available along with call-outs that displays the material’s designation and its property values when hovered over. This facilitates a comprehensive understanding of the data points represented on the plot.
The plot is fully interactive, allowing users to zoom in and out or pan across the plot area. This interactivity permits an in-depth exploration of material data. The plot’s legend is also interactive, enabling users to toggle the visibility of specific items or groups on the plot, thus personalizing the view according to their preferences.
Within the settings menu, users can customize the plot further. They have the option to select which properties they would like to plot and choose between a regular or logarithmic scale. Additionally, users can decide whether to display the material group hulls and material points, tailoring the visualization to meet specific analytical needs and clearer reporting.
Parallel Coordinates
This type of graph is designed to easily compare the attributes and properties of up to 20 materials across 10 criteria. Each material is represented by a line connecting the value of the material in criteria displayed vertically
Using Parallel coordinates, the user can easily compare up to 20 materials across 10 criteria. Material properties are presented each as vertical scales and each material is a line passing through these, permitting for a quick identification of the best performing material across a wide range of criteria. In the settings, the user can select which criteria from their Optimizer to include, these can be numerical but attributes such as compliance as well.
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