Results of the Questionnaire in North Moravia and Silesia district

Vladimir Mostyn

Jiri Skarupa

VSB – Technical University Ostrava

Results of the Questionnaire

Questionnaires were sent to 168 companies Only 39 companies sent the filled questionnaire

back (23%)- 14 companies from area of plastic and rubber parts production- 15 companies from area of machines production- 10 companies from other areas of production (electrical components, medicinal components, jewels etc.)

The companies who sent the answers are relatively small, there is very few answers from large companies

How many employees in your company?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Under 20 20-50 50-100 100-200 200-350 350-500 Other

Q1 - Number of employees

How many employees in your company are engaged in the prototyping/design/manufacturing function?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

0-5 6-10 11-20 21-30 31-50 Other

Q2 - Number of designers

Have you, or your design team, met the rapid prototyping technology before?

Are your design team experienced in new prototyping technologies?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Large Some No

Q4 - Experience

To what extent are new prototyping technologies practised by your prototyping/design workforce?

0246

81012141618

20

Large Some No

Q5 - Practice

Does your design team request continuing professional development in new prototyping techniques?

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Often Not often Never

Q6 - Request for professional development

When introducing new prototyping technologies is the trade union involvement in the process?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Positive Negative Neutral Notintroduced

Q7 - Trade Union

Rank the areas of rapid prototyping in which your design staff may have difficulty.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

STL FDM SLS LOM 3Dprint

Rapidtooling

Rapidmanu

Q8 - Suitable RP area

For what purposes do you use rapid prototyping models?

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Shape Funct_test Pattern_cast Other

Q9 - Purposes of RP

To what extent has a lack of prototyping skills hindered the development of your company in the recent past?

0246

81012141618

20

Large Some No

Q10 - Hindered development

To what extent would your company benefit from a prototyping technologies skill upgrade for its design staff?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Large Some No

Q11 - Possible benefit

Is there a requirement for new prototyping expertise in your design area?

0

5

10

15

20

25

Yes No Don't know

Q12 - Expertise

Would your company pay for relevant design personnel to attend a modular, flexible, dedicated prototyping/design course?

0

5

10

15

20

25

Often Not often Never

Q13 - Willingness to pay for courses

Would an input from your industry to the creation of a new prototyping/design education programme be beneficial to the development of your company?

0

5

10

15

20

25

Large Some No

Q14 - Cooperation on course beneficial

How important does your company consider the development of a strategic plan for prototyping/design education?

0

5

10

15

20

25

Veryimportant

Important Littleimportant

Notimportant

Vain

Q15 - Importancy of strategic plan

Would research and development projects in prototyping/design technologies between your company and educational institutes be?

024

68

10

121416

18

Verybeneficial

Beneficial Not verybeneficial

A waste oftime

Q16 - Common research projects

Are current prototyping/design skills in your company adequate to cope with your future industrial requirements?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Yes No Don't know

Q17 - Adequate skills to future

Rank the following resources which you consider would be most likely to improve rapid prototyping/design skills in your company.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Graduate Post-graduate In-house Off-site

Q18 - Resources for improving of skills

Scoring 5 for most beneficial down to 1 for least beneficial

Rank the following initiatives in the education sector which you consider would be most beneficial to your company.

Scoring 5 for most beneficial down to 1 for least beneficial

Conclusion

The companies met the Rapid Prototyping technology, but they are not experienced in it and they are not using it

They need professional development, they consider it to be beneficial, but they are not willing to pay very often and too much

The companies prefer two types of courses – up – skilling courses for relevant categories of employees mostly at the companies (in – house)– undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the universities