Material Types

Material Types are collections of materials with similar properties. Each material belongs to a specific material type, and materials within the same type share common characteristics:

  • The same types of quality checks are performed
  • Variations occur based on the same material properties. For example, height, diameter, width.

For example, in a beverage can manufacturing process, production can be divided in two stages, each represented by a material type:

  • Bright Cans
    • Cans produced in the required size and shape, however, not decorated.
    • Each material defines the physical dimensions of the can.
  • Decorated Can
    • Produced from bright cans and painted with the required design.
    • The inner surface of the can is coated with different coatings used for different beverage types.
    • A bright can material can result in multiple decorated variants, such as Coca-Cola, Fanta, and Sprite.

Material Type Properties

Material Properties define the attributes by which materials within the material type can vary.

Material properties are assigned at the material type level, while material property values are assigned to individual materials within that type.

For example, in a beverage can manufacturing process with two stages:

  • Bright cans include material properties, such as height, diameter, and width.
  • Decorated cans include material properties, such as height, diameter, width, lacquer, and embossing.