Design knowledge reuse in design of progressive stamping tools : A qualitative study

Progressive stamping tools are widely used in mass-production of sheet metal components and their performance is critical as the design of the tool impact the cost of the manufactured component significantly. Knowledge reuse is an important part of successful design in general, and in progressive stamping tool design in particular. In the study described in this paper, 8 tool designers from 5 different Swedish companies were interviewed about (1) at what points in the tool design process they search for previously designed tools for information and knowledge reuse, (2) under what conditions and for what reasons does this reuse take place, and (3) what types of information and knowledge are sought for at each point. The results show that reuse of information and knowledge from previously designed tools happens in many parts of the tool design process. The reasons and conditions for reuse vary depending on where in the process the designer is. High component complexity is one example of a common factor triggering reuse. Also, information about the performance of the tool is important to tool designers, as they only want to reuse information and knowledge from tools with good performance and low maintenance.