Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
DFMA
Just about anything can be manufactured, given enough time and money. The goal of
design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) is to minimize the amount of time and
money required, while maintaining quality, fit, form, and function. My colleague Peter De-
Medal of Technology for his work on DFMA tools. He created the following elegant de-
scription of DFMA:
During the early stages of design, control of part count is paramount to meet-
ing cost targets…
This analysis allows you to determine the theoretical minimum number of parts
that must be in the design for the product while maintaining 100% functional-
ity. When you identify
and eliminate unnecessary parts, you eliminate unnecessary manufacturing
and assembly costs, along with “downstream” costs associated with warranty and service, engineering
change orders, and utilization of factory floor space. Suppliers are a rich source of feedback during
product simplification, particularly if one of your options is to combine multiple parts into one part with
multiple features. As a design matures, DFA tools help avoid part proliferation and ensure that costs do
not creep back into the product.
5
You've already learned enough about design for manufacture from
Chapter 12
.
You
can take a course on DFMA at many universities to go further, but it probably won't be
especially useful unless you are also intimately familiar with your factory's capabilities
and processes. The factory should have experience with optimizing your design for pro-
duction in its facility. Your job is to make sure that none of the design intent is lost in that
optimization process, as that's where many errors occur. The best way to do so is by get-
ting samples of your product made.
