engineering

International Material Data System

International Material Data System is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand International Material Data System rather than just read about it. In short: The International Material Data System (IMDS) is a global data repository created in 1999 that contains information on materials used by the automotive industry. Several leading auto manufacturers use the IMDS to maintain data for various reporting requirements.

Key takeaways

International Material Data System belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect International Material Data System to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of International Material Data System from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The International Material Data System (IMDS) is a global data repository created in 1999 that contains information on materials used by the automotive industry. Several leading auto manufacturers use the IMDS to maintain data for various reporting requirements. In the IMDS, all materials present in finished automobile manufacturing are collected, maintained, analysed and archived. IMDS facilitates meeting the obligations placed on automobile manufacturers, and thus on their suppliers, by national and international standards, laws and regulations.

Introduction The IMDS was originally created in 1999 as a collaboration of Audi, BMW, Daimler, EDS (now part of DXC Technology, the system administrator), Ford, Opel, Porsche, VW and Volvo. Since inception the list of participating vehicle manufacturers and suppliers has grown greatly.

Usage Because it is a computer-based system, IMDS highlights hazardous and controlled substances by comparing entered data with regulatory-originated lists of prohibited substances (GADSL, REACH, ELV, etc...). Hence OEMs can trace hazardous substances back to the individual part and work with suppliers to reduce, control, or eliminate the hazard. All substances must be declared in the material data sheet (MDS) of the IMDS to a resolution of 1 gram or better – not just declarable and prohibited substances (e.g. Cr VI / Hg / Pb / Cd). Substances and materials of products must be known in detail so that it may be delivered by the OEMs to dismantler companies in order to achieve the goals of the ELV Directive. The basic workflow model of the system is for each supplier to submit data about the parts they sell to their direct customer. When each link in the supply chain submits data per this method, it mimics actual supply chain part flow, preserving customer-to-supplier relations. Data entry in IMDS is frequently a contractual requirement of PPAP which is one part of standard automotive quality systems.

Access and costs The IMDS is easily accessed through the internet. The basic web browser version of the system is supported by the OEM sponsor's group and provided free of charge to suppliers in the automotive supply chain. There are several vendors that provide systems allowing compatible IMDS interaction with product lifecycle management, download and upload, data format translation, and other reporting systems.

Changes in 2013 and 2014 2013 – IMDS NT for Design Changes 2014 – IMDS 2020 for New Functions

References

External links Official website Training Homepage for new IMDS NT Design GADSL Homepage End of Life Vehicles Directive 2000/53/EC REACh IMDS at AIAG IMDS Suppliers Group at CLEPA, European Automotive Suppliers' Association US American Automotive Suppliers' Associations About IMDS (Brazil)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with International Material Data System

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what International Material Data System claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to International Material Data System before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about International Material Data System ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of International Material Data System

In research: International Material Data System appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses International Material Data System in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: International Material Data System is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Automotive industry, Automotive standards, European Union directives, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for International Material Data System outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study International Material Data System in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what International Material Data System means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain International Material Data System out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is International Material Data System in simple terms?

Why does International Material Data System matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study International Material Data System?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on International Material Data System.