Rapid tooling route selection for metal casting using QFD-ANP methodology

An integrated methodology using quality function deployment (QFD) and analytic network process (ANP) is proposed to determine and prioritize the engineering requirements of a cast part, based on the customer needs, for selecting and evaluating an appropriate rapid prototyping (RP)-based route for tooling fabrication. The QFD incorporates a planning matrix to translate the customer needs into measurable engineering requirements using a robust evaluation method based on ANP. Experimental data generated by carrying out benchmarking studies of widely used RP processes were used to facilitate assignment of relative weights in ANP. The methodology is demonstrated and validated with an industrial example of a separator body casting. It has proved to be a robust evaluation and decision-making tool for selecting appropriate tooling route for a given casting based on customer requirements.