Fundamentals and benefits of design for manufacturing

 

Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

What does Design for Manufacturing (DFM) mean?

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is a design technique for ease of manufacture of the assortment of parts that make up the final product after assembly. Manufacturing design focuses on reducing the complexities involved in manufacturing operations as well as reducing the overall part manufacturing cost.

Techopedia describes Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

Principles involved in manufacturing design include standardizing materials and components, reducing part counts, designing for efficient assembly, simplifying and reducing the number of manufacturing operations, and creating modular assemblies. The manufacturing design process includes the selection and review of raw materials, any secondary processes, dimensional and other requirements, and final packaging. Mechanical design service  is different from design for assembly in that design for production is concerned only with minimizing the overall manufacturing cost while design for assembly is concerned only with minimizing the cost of assembly of the product.

There are many benefits associated with design for manufacturing. The process helps identify potential flaws at the design stage and helps resolve them, thereby solving the problem at the lowest cost stage. The process helps shorten the product development cycle and reduces material, labor costs and any overhead. Focusing on standards to reduce costs leads to improvement in the final product. Products manufactured with design to manufacturing techniques tend to be more reliable and of better quality. Design for production helps to reduce the intensity level of all activities related to the product through its entire life.

Computer technology helps designers, engineers and manufacturers in designing for production. Computer technology is mainly used to estimate and reduce the total number of parts in a product, help identify and design multi-purpose parts, design parts to be multi-functional wherever possible, help achieve modular design, reduce maintenance and assembly. Directions.

Aim of design for production

In the world of plastics, Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is the combination of art, science, and technologies necessary to design a plastic part or product prior to tooling and manufacturing that meets customer quality and cost expectations. DFM's aim is to deliver high levels of customer satisfaction, low production costs and high profits.

To achieve its objectives, DFM requires collaboration between the molder, OEM and customer. It should take advantage of best in class manufacturing processes. Its principles conduct a scientific molding process involving the selection of materials. It requires acknowledging and working within the maximum performance capability of the molder's production equipment. It should use cutting-edge technology such as simulation and enterprise resource planning software in the design process, and use robotics and process control systems for manufacturing.

On this page, before the tooling kicks off, Rosti explores DFM to help our customers and prospects understand its role in the design validation process. You can download this entire page as a PDF here, read the entirety of our insights and observations by scrolling down this page, or click on any of the links above to take you to the topic of interest.

Fundamentals and benefits of design for manufacturing

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) involves the design of a product that optimizes manufacturing efficiency for the equipment and/or process used in its production and realizes the lowest possible unit cost at the highest possible quality. A major reason for incorporating DFM into making a plastic injection molded product is that 70% of its manufacturing cost can be determined by design decisions.

DFM requires selecting the right manufacturing process for a part or product; Investments in different technologies, using advanced design principles (discussed below), and choosing the right materials with the right properties to deliver the consistency and quality demanded by your customers and prospects.

DFM is also an important part of another customer demand: reducing production and assembly costs. A simple view of the method to achieve this is presented below; However, when a DFM project is completed deskside, it should be an engineering document laser-focused on getting the "right" balance of quality and costs.