Learn how to select, compare, and confidently specify metals, polymers, and ceramics—even if you’re not a metallurgist.

Course Description

Every engineer works with materials. Whether you’re designing process equipment, selecting gaskets, or specifying pump bodies, your material decisions impact cost, durability, and safety. But not everyone has a background in metallurgy or polymer science.
This practical course is for engineers who are not materials specialists, but need to make informed decisions about materials of construction. Using simplified tools, real-world classifications, and non-academic logic, you'll learn how to distinguish and select common metals, plastics, and ceramics for engineering applications.
You'll discover how to think like a material engineer when choosing materials—without getting lost in dozens of mechanical or chemical parameters. We use analogies, charts, and industry naming systems to simplify the decision-making process.
Whether you work in design, procurement, inspection, or operations, this course gives you the confidence to discuss, select, and specify materials in industrial applications.

Who Should Attend

Mechanical Engineers | Process Engineers | Procurement Staff | Mechanical Engineers | Junior Plant Engineers | Operations Engineers | Project Engineers | Technical Managers

Training Methodology

✔ Industry terms explained in plain language

✔ Classification charts and simplified decision tools

✔ Based on field experience—not academic material science

✔ Includes shortcuts to decode trade names, specifications, and common standards

Organizational Benefits

Avoid costly over-specification of exotic materials
Improve communication between design and procurement
Select cost-effective alternatives when needed
Understand material failures and corrosion modes
Make sense of datasheets, naming systems, and specifications

What You Will Learn

✔ Why material selection matters

✔ How to classify all engineering materials in 4 groups

✔ The difference between pure, alloyed, composite, and paired materials

✔ How to pick between ferrous and non-ferrous metals

✔ When to use polymers and elastomers instead of metals

✔ Key applications and limitations of stainless steel, duplex, nickel alloys, and titanium

✔ How to narrow down your choices by considering market availability

Seminar Outline (Highlights)

Part 1 – The Role of Materials in Engineering • Why parts fail: corrosion, wear, degradation • The concept of aging and lifecycle of materials • The real reason you need to care about material selection
Part 2 – Simplifying the Complexity • Grouping materials: pure, alloyed, composite, paired • Shortcut: Using one parameter (like tensile strength) to estimate the rest • Material property tables and what they really mean
Part 3 – Metals in Practice • The world of steels: carbon steel, alloyed steel, stainless, and duplex • When to move to nickel alloys, cobalt alloys, titanium, or tantalum • How to compare grades
Part 4 – Non-Metals and When to Use Them • Plastics vs. elastomers: How soft is too soft? • FRPs, GRPs, and the magic of composites • Ceramics and glasses: hidden strength and limits • When and why to use glass-lining or rubber-lining
Part 5 – Practical Decision Making • How to compare materials: strength, corrosion, cost • What to specify in your datasheet or drawing

Practical Takeaways

✔ Universal material classification matrix

✔ Comparison chart of metals, plastics, and ceramics

✔ Corrosion resistance cheat sheet

Course FAQ

Q: Do I need prior knowledge in metallurgy? 

A: Not at all. The course is made for non-materials engineers.
 

Q: Will we talk about plastics too? 

A: Yes—common plastics, rubbers, and composites are all covered.
 

Q: Is corrosion discussed in detail?

 A: Yes. You'll learn the basics of corrosion types, resistance, and mitigation through materials.

Q: Can this help in equipment or piping specification? 

A: Absolutely. That’s one of the main applications.

Q: Are trade names like Teflon and Viton covered?

 A: Yes. You’ll learn which materials these names refer to and when to use them.

What Past Participants Say

— “This course helped me to learn about non metals. Not many similar courses cover.” – plastic and elastomers” -Mechanical Designer
— “Finally understood why plastics fail in certain chemicals. The compatibility approach was eye-opening.” – Procurement Engineer
— “Great breakdown of exotic materials. I used to avoid them—now I know when to specify them.” – Project Engineer