Acquiring innovative manufacturing engineering knowledge for the preliminary design of complex mechanical components

Abstract

This research is concerned with the identification and sharing of the knowledge required during preliminary design when the manufacturing process is in development. An investigation was undertaken using a complex mechanical component with an innovative manufacturing process. The designers and manufacturing engineers involved in the preliminary design were interviewed and the data analysed. The difference in knowledge requirements depending on the domain specialism emerged as a significant finding. A schematic diagram to illustrate the knowledge interactions between the specialist domains was created. This will be used to create a methodology to facilitate the identification and sharing of manufacturing knowledge requirements. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011.