A METHODICAL APPROACH FOR THE TECHNOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF JOINING TECHNOLOGIES - OPTIMIZED DECISION-MAKING IN CAR BODY DEVELOPMENT

Lightweight solution lead to a diversity of joining technologies in car body development. To date, the decision-making for joining technologies is based on the expertise of the developer; a standardized selection procedure does not exist. The focus of the extant literature mostly lies on economic criteria. Thus, an assessment of the technological potential of the technologies cannot be made. This research presents an approach for the technological assessment. By considering besides economic also technological criteria, the approach allows an optimized selection-process of joining technologies.