Published Article / Global issues such as energy and climate changes have impacted on both the automotive and aerospace industries, forcing them to adopt measures to produce products that consume fewer combustibles and emit less carbon dioxide. Making vehicles lighter is one of the logical ways of reducing fuel consumption. The need for light components, able to fulfil technical and quality specifications, led to market growth for tooling that is able to mass produce parts using manufacturing processes such as high pressure die casting. Competitive pressures to reduce the lead time required for tooling-up has also increased dramatically. For this reason research into various methods, techniques and approaches to tool manufacture is being undertaken globally. This paper highlights the work undertaken at the CSIR on the issue of rapid die manufacturing through the application and evaluation of a rapid prototyping technique and coating technologies applied to die components of a high pressure casting die for the production of aluminium components. Criteria for determining suitability were developed against which the technique was evaluated that included time, cost and life-expectancy. Results of accelerated testing procedures to evaluate the die material produced by the rapid prototyping technique and surface coatings and treatments of die materials for their resistance to washout, erosion, heat checking and corrosion in a high pressure die casting environment, are presented. The outcomes of this research will be used for further development and application of specific techniques, design principles and criteria for this approach.

Published Article / This paper is based on tests performed on die component specimens manufactured by EOS-DMLS (direct metal laser sintering) and LENS (laser engineered net shape) RP (rapid prototyping) technology platforms, as well as manufactured specimens machined out of preferred standard hot work steel DIN 1.2344. These specimens resemble typical components used in metal high pressure die casting tool sets. The specimens were subjected to a programme of cyclic immersion in molten aluminium alloy and cooling in water-based die release medium. The heat checking and soldering phenomena were analyzed through periodic inspections, monitoring crack formation and evidence of surface washout. At the end of the thermal tests, mechanical strength and hardness tests were performed to assess toughness and core resistance variations in relation to the initial conditions. Finally metallographic investigations were performed through optical microscopy on all the specimens considered. The outcomes of this research will be presented and used by the CSIR for further development and application of the assessed EOS-DMLS and LENS rapid prototyping technologies in rapid die manufacturing techniques and die design principles, including time and economic feasibility criteria to be applied when considering rapid die manufacture.

<p>Denna studie är en fallstudie av ett privat sjukvårdsföretag. Studien syftar till att undersöka hur olika gestaltningstekniker</p><p>samt gruppers sammansättning kan påverka diskussioner kring design och därmed fungera som strukturerande resurser för</p><p>samtalet. Studien vidgar begreppet prototyper till att hantera mer än de delar som behandlats i tidigare forskning: medium,</p><p>detaljrikedom och närhet till slutprodukt.</p><p>Datainsamling har skett vid sex fokusgruppstillfällen där tre olika grupper (inom olika delar av en och samma organisation:</p><p>användare hos kund, användare hos systemleverantören och systemutvecklare hos leverantören) har fört en diskussion kring</p><p>designen utifrån tre olika gestaltningstekniker (gränssnittsskisser, scenarios och dynamiska datorprototyper).</p><p>Diskussionerna har sedan analyserats i termer av domäner för interaktionsdesign och aspekter av IT-systemet i användning.</p><p>Studiens huvudsakliga slutsatser är att gestaltningstekniker påverkar vilka domäner och aspekter som diskuteras varför</p><p>designern kan välja gestaltningsteknik efter vad han eller hon vill få ut av diskussionen. Skisserna bedöms ge den mest</p><p>heltäckande diskussionen, medan scenarios fungerar bäst för dem som inte är teknikvana och tar då upp struktur och</p><p>funktion. Datorprototypen lämpar sig bäst för diskussion kring interaktion och presentation. Men gruppens sammansättning</p><p>påverkar diskussionen i högre utsträckning än gestaltningsteknikerna. Därför dras även slutsatsen att det är viktigt att</p><p>designern känner sin publik och anpassar valet av gestaltningsteknik efter målgruppen.</p> / <p>This thesis investigates how different prototyping techniques and compositions of groups can influence discussions about</p><p>design and therefore function as structuring resources for the discussion. This thesis widens the conception of prototypes to</p><p>include more than the issues that have been discussed in previous research: medium, wealth of details and closeness to the</p><p>final product.</p><p>Data has been collected through six focus groups where three different groups (within different parts of one organization;</p><p>users at client, users at system supplier, and systems developers at supplier) have discussed the design with the help of the</p><p>different prototyping techniques (sketches, scenarios and dynamic computer prototypes).</p><p>The discussions where analyzed in terms of domains for interaction design and different aspects of the system in use.</p><p>The main conclusions of this thesis are that prototyping techniques influence which domains and aspects are discussed.</p><p>Therefore the designer can choose prototyping technique depending on what he or she wants to discuss about the design.</p><p>The sketches provides the most complete discussion, while scenarios works best with those that are not knowledgeable</p><p>about IT-systems and then the discussion deals with structure and function. The computer prototype is best suited for</p><p>discussing interaction and presentation. But the composition of the group has more influence on the discussion than the</p><p>choice of prototyping technique. Therefore the conclusion is drawn that it is important that the designer knows his or her</p><p>audience and adjusts the choice of prototyping technique to the composition of the group.</p>

Denna studie är en fallstudie av ett privat sjukvårdsföretag. Studien syftar till att undersöka hur olika gestaltningstekniker samt gruppers sammansättning kan påverka diskussioner kring design och därmed fungera som strukturerande resurser för samtalet. Studien vidgar begreppet prototyper till att hantera mer än de delar som behandlats i tidigare forskning: medium, detaljrikedom och närhet till slutprodukt. Datainsamling har skett vid sex fokusgruppstillfällen där tre olika grupper (inom olika delar av en och samma organisation: användare hos kund, användare hos systemleverantören och systemutvecklare hos leverantören) har fört en diskussion kring designen utifrån tre olika gestaltningstekniker (gränssnittsskisser, scenarios och dynamiska datorprototyper). Diskussionerna har sedan analyserats i termer av domäner för interaktionsdesign och aspekter av IT-systemet i användning. Studiens huvudsakliga slutsatser är att gestaltningstekniker påverkar vilka domäner och aspekter som diskuteras varför designern kan välja gestaltningsteknik efter vad han eller hon vill få ut av diskussionen. Skisserna bedöms ge den mest heltäckande diskussionen, medan scenarios fungerar bäst för dem som inte är teknikvana och tar då upp struktur och funktion. Datorprototypen lämpar sig bäst för diskussion kring interaktion och presentation. Men gruppens sammansättning påverkar diskussionen i högre utsträckning än gestaltningsteknikerna. Därför dras även slutsatsen att det är viktigt att designern känner sin publik och anpassar valet av gestaltningsteknik efter målgruppen. / This thesis investigates how different prototyping techniques and compositions of groups can influence discussions about design and therefore function as structuring resources for the discussion. This thesis widens the conception of prototypes to include more than the issues that have been discussed in previous research: medium, wealth of details and closeness to the final product. Data has been collected through six focus groups where three different groups (within different parts of one organization; users at client, users at system supplier, and systems developers at supplier) have discussed the design with the help of the different prototyping techniques (sketches, scenarios and dynamic computer prototypes). The discussions where analyzed in terms of domains for interaction design and different aspects of the system in use. The main conclusions of this thesis are that prototyping techniques influence which domains and aspects are discussed. Therefore the designer can choose prototyping technique depending on what he or she wants to discuss about the design. The sketches provides the most complete discussion, while scenarios works best with those that are not knowledgeable about IT-systems and then the discussion deals with structure and function. The computer prototype is best suited for discussing interaction and presentation. But the composition of the group has more influence on the discussion than the choice of prototyping technique. Therefore the conclusion is drawn that it is important that the designer knows his or her audience and adjusts the choice of prototyping technique to the composition of the group.