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| Stories from the Granulatefather: The Triangle Test by Herwig Juster |
The hum of machines filled the air as Anna, a young design engineer, walked briskly through the plastics manufacturing plant. She clutched a sample part in her hand—a translucent connector for a medical device. It looked perfect, but Anna’s brow was furrowed. She had just received a report: several connectors had cracked during field use.
At the conference table, Anna met with her mentor, Mr. DeWitt, a seasoned materials expert. He examined the cracked part, turning it over in his hands. “Environmental stress cracking,” he murmured, almost to himself.
Anna sighed. “I thought we picked the right material. We even checked the chemical compatibility.”
Mr. DeWitt smiled gently. “Let me tell you a rule of thumb I learned early in my career. When it comes to environmental stress cracking—ESCR—think of a triangle. Three legs: environment, stress, and chemicals. If you can remove or reduce even one, you break the triangle and prevent failure.”
Anna leaned in, intrigued. “So, where do we start?”
They walked to the design lab. Mr. DeWitt pointed to the sharp corners on Anna’s part. “Stress concentrates here. Let’s round these edges and thicken the walls. That’ll help.”
Next, they reviewed the cleaning agents used in the hospital. “Some chemicals are harsher than we realized,” Anna noted. “We can recommend alternatives.”
Finally, Mr. DeWitt pulled a datasheet for PPSU, a high-performance polymer. “This material has excellent resistance to ESCR. It might cost more, but it could save us from future failures.”
A week later, Anna watched as the new connectors passed every test—no cracks, no failures. She smiled, remembering the triangle. By tweaking the design, rethinking the chemicals, and upgrading the material, they had broken the cycle of failure.
Anna’s story spread through the company, a reminder that in plastics, success isn’t just about picking a material—it’s about understanding the whole system, and knowing which leg of the triangle to break.
I hope you enjoyed the story!
Thanks for reading & #findoutaboutplastics
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