search_materials
Use to resolve a user's material description (industry grade name like 'PA12', a colloquial term like 'nylon', a Chinese term, or a vague description) into concrete materials.csv entries. Unlike compare_materials/find_equivalent_materials (which need an exact known ID), this tool accepts messy input and returns a ranked list of candidates — use it as the first step when you don't already know the exact material_id. If multiple candidates come back, ask the user to pick one rather than guessing. Optionally narrow by category_hint (Plastic/Metal/Rubber/Resin/Powder Metals/Powder Polymers) or process_filter (e.g. 'Selective Laser Sintering', 'SLS', 'Injection Molding') when the context already implies a manufacturing process.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| limit | No | Max candidates to return. Defaults to 10. | |
| query | Yes | User's material description, ideally already normalized to English (e.g. 'PA12', 'nylon', '316 stainless steel'). | |
| category_hint | No | Optional coarse category filter matched against Material_Category(L1)/Material_Sub-Category(L2). | |
| process_filter | No | Optional manufacturing process substring filter matched against Compatible_Processes, e.g. 'SLS', 'Selective Laser Sintering', 'Injection Molding'. |