Design and implementation of a decision support system for the selection of materials at the manufacturing of press molds

Today there are many alternative materials that can be used for material selection. Choosing the appropriate material depends on whether the decisions made are correct and accurate. The production made with the right material selection is important in terms of high quality and low cost. Significant improvements have been made in terms of the methods used in material selection in recent years. One of these methods is the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) as a Multi-Criteria Decision Making Method. In this thesis, the selection of suitable steel from the steels used in the production of cutting molds was investigated and solved as a research topic. First of all, information about the method to be used in material selection is given. Then, as the criteria affecting the solution of the problem, abrasion resistance, toughness, working hardness at high temperature, general usage hardness, availability, cost and machinability were determined. Cold work tool steels D2, D3, D4, D5, D7 steels are selected as an option in the selection of suitable materials. With the analytical hierarchy process, expert choice (EC) was used to solve the problem. The results were analyzed and sensitivity analysis was performed. As a result of these applications, the criteria with 26% wear resistance were determined as the most important criteria. Among the options is D2 steel as the most appropriate material.