Information flow management in customer-oriented sheet metal production

The research problem in this thesis is related to the sheet metal NC process and its requirements from the point of view of data transferring. The aim is to map the current state of sheet metal production of the company with its information flows, and to find the potential problems associated with it. The company is known to be implementing a new CAD design environment and the product information management system. In addition, the company’s intention is to introduce a new laser machine that will require new software to support nesting. This change has progressed to the point where the current process needs to be mapped and the related information flows identified. The research is limited to examining the sheet metal process from design to production, focusing on the programming department. The focus will be on identifying the information related to the programming department and in the stages of the production process where programming is associated. A qualitative case study, in which the interviews of the target persons have been conducted as semi-structured, is used as a research method. The knowledge of sheet metal production is expanded with a literature study that provides the basics needed to conduct a case study. For the basis of the case study, the process flow charts were developed based on the most important aspects of the sheet metal process of the company. These process flow charts present the most important work phases and the related information flow. The potential problem and challenging areas were identified based on the created process charts. These are presented in a thematic way with the aim of providing development suggestions. The challenges identified in the research were related to potential errors in the information flows as well as human based errors, to revision management, and to avoiding manual and non-productive work. In addition to this, challenges were found in the extra optimization of programming and the programming of press brakes or its absence