Whenever you are designing new products, it is worth considering how any new or improved materials on the market may well change how you create every single part of the items you fabricate.
Many people will consider how the body of different objects can change, but it is worth remembering that everything from entire motor vehicles to the smallest nuts and bolts could well be optimised far better by using different materials.
Take plastic bolts as a case in point. In the majority of cases, making bolts and screws from plastic is likely to be cheaper, easier and more environmentally friendly than creating the same extraneous parts from metal. Not only this, but plastic bolts will not need oiling as their metal counterparts might and they are far less likely to be affected by temperature than metal will be.
Plastic washers and screws are also going to be easier to recycle too as well as being more lightweight, even reducing your cost when it comes to shipping or moving your items. Another benefit of using less obvious washers made from plastic over metal is that plastic is far less likely to scratch or damage other items, making it a far better choice for the consumer too.
The same can go for almost any type of product and any peripheral items that might need to be utilised as a result. We can all become very used to seeing certain items being made from a certain material and therefore not think twice about going down the same path. However, when it comes to designing any new products, whether you need the smallest plastic washers or the largest plastic casing, simply looking at all your options in terms of material could not only end up saving you time and money, but it could also leave you with a far better product in the process.