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How cost effective is your design process? 

DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING

What is Design for Manufacturing?

Design for manufacturing is the philosophy of designing the collection of parts that will form a product so that they will cause the least disruption to manufacturing and assembly.

DFA is a tool used to select the most cost effective material and process to be used in the production in the early stages of product design.

In effect : ‘Optimization of the manufacturing chain’

Fundamental questions in Design for manufacturing

  • Can we do without it?
  • Does it do more than required?
  • Does it cost more than it is worth?
  • Can someone else do a better job?
  • Can it be made by a less costly method, tools or material?
  • Can it be made cheaper, better or faster by someone else?

 

DFM Methodology

  • Estimate the manufacturing costs.
  • Reduce the costs of components.
  • Reduce the costs of assembly.
  • Reduce the costs of supporting production.
  • Consider the impact of DFM decisions on other factors.

 

What we cover in this course : DFM Tools and Guidelines

 

1.Minimise the number of parts

2.Standardize and use as many common parts as possible

3.Design parts for ease of fabrication

4.Use standard cutters, drills, tools

5.Use common datum’s for tooling fixtures

6.Minimize handling

7.Eliminate adjustments

8.Use repeatable, well understood processes

9.Avoid hidden features

10.Avoid designs that will tangle.

11.Design parts that orient themselves.

 

Benefits  of Design for Manufacturing

 

  • Typical results of DFMA application
  • Results of 88 published case studies

Decreases

  • -51% parts count reduction
  • -37% parts cost
  • -50% time to market
  • -64% in assembly time
  • -57% in manufacturing assembly time
  • -58% in assembly operations
  • -69% in separate fasteners
  • -68% in assembly defects
  • -57% in service calls
  • + 68% in improvement in quality and reliability

Click on the summary below for a taster of the course content.

A taster of Design for Manufacturing