A classification system for secondary design features for the use within sheet-bulk metal forming

Estimating the potential of new emerging manufacturing technologies for the area of engineering design is crucial for the establishment of these processes in the industry sector. An example for such a new technology is sheet-bulk metal forming (SBMF): New parts can be designed due to the higher design freedom for design engineers and the possibility to integrate more functions by using more functional elements per part. Furthermore it is of high interest if this emerging technology can be used to substitute established manufacturing processes and produce parts with a higher functional density with less process steps and more robust processes. In this paper a new classification system is presented that enables the design engineer to classify parts with primary and especially secondary design features. On the one hand the classification system can be used to identify parts for which the established manufacturing process may be substituted by SBMF. On the other hand potential for new innovative solutions can be revealed.