Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Thales Join Environmental Materials Technology Consortium

By DE Editors

The Environmental Materials Information Technology (EMIT) Consortium has announced three new members: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Thales. The membership of the Consortium now numbers 12 engineering enterprises, focused on developing software tools and information resources that embed eco design and consideration of environmental regulations into everyday engineering workflows. The project has also confirmed that its next meeting will be in Cambridge, UK from March 19-21, 2012, hosted by Granta Design.

Since it was founded in 2008, this collaborative project has been guiding development of software and related reference data created by Granta. Each member has a formal vote in the process to prioritize developments. This ensures both that their specific needs are met and that these solutions meet the wider needs of industry in general.

Member organizations use the resulting software (including early access to new technology) and can apply it to address key problems for their business. They also receive dedicated training and support and opportunities to share and develop best practice through the Consortium networking meetings.

A main focus of the Consortium has been on restricted substances. Being able to consider the impact of restricted substance regulations when making materials and process decisions in design helps these organizations to assess and manage risk. These tools are available via the web browser-based interface of the GRANTA MI system and from within Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems.

EMIT members can also benefit from quick and easy ways to assess energy and carbon footprint during product design. This helps engineers and designers to meet environmental objectives by exploring ‘what if scenarios’ during the crucial early stages of design, when changes cost least but matter most.

For more information, visit EMIT.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.