The last few years have seen significant developments in several technologies. For example, low-cost manufacturing methods and the ability to get the strength of steel with lightweight metals promise a vast range of applications for metal-matrix composites. Metallurgical theories have caught up with practice sufficiently that computers are now able to design, improve, and predict properties of metals. And coating technology is helping to bridge the gap between the limits of alloying and the demand for greater performance. The article discusses new products, developments in computer-aided analyses of metals, metals composites, and other aspects of the subject.
