Are books on manufacturing technologies and design really read? A survey about how young furniture designers study manufacturing technologies

Knowledge on manufacturing technologies (MT) is recognized by academics as being an important element of product design curricula and practice. Consequently many authors have proposed various approaches to teach potentialities and constrains of MT. These approaches could be classified in four typologies: the normative approach, the selective approach, the case study approach and the multi-sensorial approach. However do young product designers practice these approaches to learn MT? If not what kind of methods and tools do they follow? A survey was carried out among 97 young furniture designers in order to examine the relationship between young designers and MT. [Continues.]