1.         A design engineer working in the microelectronics industry is trying set up the production of a customized circuit board. As the board goes through the various robotics that solder the two special capacitors on the board, the other components on the board become damaged by splattering solder. It’s clear that the board itself needs to be protected prior to the soldering process. What material will protect the board during this process and can then be easily removed?
            A Knovel keyword search of MASKING and CIRCUIT, limited to the “Adhesives, Coatings, Sealants and Inks” Subject Area, will yield Coating Materials for Electronics Applications. Viewing the text, the engineer finds that polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl acetate coatings will provide protection by masking the board and can be rinsed off after the soldering process is complete.

2.         An applications support chemist working for a paint and coatings manufacturer receives a call from a field representative, who is working with customer- an automobile parts manufacturer. The customer states that they are getting complaints that the coating they purchased and are applying to their parts, is not effective and the parts are prematurely corroding. The representative contacts the applications chemist to get information on what might be wrong.
            A Knovel keyword search of ZINC PHOSPHATE and THICKNESS, limiting the search to the “Adhesives, Coatings, Sealants and Inks” Subject Area, will yield information in Failure Analysis of Paints and Coatings. The chemist finds that if the coating is applied too thin or too thick, it will lose its effectiveness. He contacts the representative who reviews the application of the coating with the parts manufacturer.

3.         A plant engineer is re-tooling for a new a process that requires acetone (C3H60) at 100% concentration to be heated to 212° F and transported from one area of the plant to another. Can he use existing stainless steel pipes from a previous process, or will corrosion be an issue?
            A Knovel keyword search of STAINLESS STEEL and C3H6O will bring up the Corrosion Survey Database, which contains a Knovel Interactive Table showing that the corrosion value for exposure to acetone is < 2 mpy.  Therefore, acetone (C3H6O) at a 100% concentration, at 212° F, will work.

4.         A plastics engineer is trying to select a barrier plastic for an insulation application.  She  plans to use Nylon, but needs to determine the what thickness will provide a strong enough barrier at a specific temperature.
            A Knovel keyword search of NYLON and WATER VAPOR will bring up Permeability and Other Film Properties of Plastics and Elastomers, a book containing a Knovel Interactive Table.  The table shows the permeability of different thicknesses of Nylon at various temperatures.  This will help her select the appropriate material with confidence.

5.         A technical service engineer working for a bottle manufacturing company is asked by a customer if mustard can be stored in the company’s product.  The technical service engineer researches the product and finds it is made from polypropylene.  He needs to determine whether mustard can be stored in polypropylene.
            A Knovel keyword search of POlypropylene and mustard will bring up Chemical Resistance of Plastics and Elastomers, a book containing a Knovel Interactive Table.  The table shows that mustard from 3 well-known suppliers can be safely stored in a polypropylene container.

6.         A sign engineer wants to subject a part made from aluminum alloy 2024-T3 to a powder coating process which involves high temperatures.  Will it make the part softer and weaker?
            A Knovel keyword search of 2024 and ELASTICITY will bring up the Military Handbook - 5H, which contains a Knovel Interactive Table showing data points for Aluminum Alloy 2024.  To further evaluate 2024-T3, a Knovel Interactive Graph will allow you to click along the curves to see how it responds to different temperatures.

7.         A technician working at a personal electronics manufacturer has been tasked with investigating a product failure in a small hand-held CD player. Customer complaints and product returns are increasing. The problem has been isolated to one of the ceramic components that are produced by another vendor. Because the failure is not immediate, the technician must get some background on failures causes over lifetime of the component.
           Using Knovel, the technician performs a keyword search using aging and piezoelectric. The search retrieves information in Encyclopedia of Smart Materials, Volumes 1-2. The technician can now quickly assess the causes of premature aging of the component and work with the outsourcing vendor to correct the defect.

8.         A design engineer working on a pilot test project is evaluating different components and is trying to project and evaluate their use. One of the components, a ceramic material made out of silicon carbide used to insulate another component, has developed hairline fractures in the testing. Is this material adequate or will the small fractures decrease the strength and cause the component to fail?
           Using Knovel, the engineer performs a keyword search using strength and silicon carbide. The search retrieves information in Handbook of Materials Selection, a Knovel interactive book. The engineer can quickly determine, using the Graph Digitizer Productivity Tool, whether the small stress cracks will cause the component to fail.

9.         A plant engineer working on a textile manufacturing line is exploring a product failure complaint. A customer of the company, a high performance sportswear company, has complained about the fabric of one design experiencing a high degree of ripping and tearing-something that had not happened with the product in the past. The engineer is trying to determine a suitable test to analyze the fiber in the raw material that’s being used. Because this test will need to be sent out to an independent company, the engineer wants to educate herself on what the types of methods are.
            Using Knovel, the engineer performs a keyword search using methods and fiber structure, limiting the search to the “Textiles” Subject Area. The search retrieves information in Synthetic Fibers - Machines and Equipment Manufacture, Properties, which provides the engineer an overview of testing methods such as Optical Microscopy and X-ray Scattering.

10.       A small manufacturing company produces seat assemblies for automobile assembly plants that they hold contracts with. Due to heightened environmental concerns in their town, there is pressure, and possible fines, related to the disposal of some of the discarded polyurethane foam that is used to cushion the seats. The company wants to investigate if there are other ways to eliminate this waste, rather than placing in the local landfill.
            A Knovel keyword search of polyurethane foam and recycling, limiting the search to the “Textiles” Subject Area. The search retrieves results in Textiles in Automotive Engineering, which provides information on recycling options such as compression moulding and adhesive rebonding of the foam.