1. Cognitive paths of progress in die design

Current trends in the profile market are moving towards :

• increasingly stringent (product) quality requirements:

  • dimensional, mechanical, surface and/or material health (quality) characteristics have increasingly tight tolerances (sometimes with the introduction of the notion of capability),

  • customer return rates are getting lower and lower (from the classically acceptable 0.5 to 1% in the construction industry to 0.000 1% in the automotive industry);

• ever-shorter lead times. It usually takes around 6 weeks to deliver a sample of a new product (time to design, produce and adjust the die). Increasingly, lead times of 4 weeks are required;

• lower and lower sales prices:

  • ...