Mechanical Engineering Design: The Role of DFM and DFA

What is design for manufacturing?

Essentially, DFM refers to best practices in the design of end products, parts and machine components, which significantly reduces the cost of manufacturing because it takes into account several factors, including raw material costs, tolerances, quality methodologies used (SPSS, Six Sigma, etc.) and testing procedures. It gives a whole new boost to product design because its main role is to help identify in advance the stress and deformation factors in the product while providing a means to map and monitor the avoidance of Defects. It also visualizes all possible ergonomic aspects that may have an impact on the usability of the final product and future subsistence needs. Fundamentally, DFM is one of the best ways to achieve cost leadership, quality assurance, and sales goals.

DFM can help reduce costs and improve the design:

Use of common reference functions and main axes
Exploit existing marketing knowledge, DFSS techniques, process capabilities
Design optimized to ensure quick preparation for production
Better design symmetry

What is the design for assembly?

Assembly design (DFA) refers to best practices in the design of the machine's end products, parts and components, which ensures a reduction in overall costs when assembling. It follows the principle that individual components are more difficult to design than final assemblies. Many costs can be saved if the design takes into account the final assembled product instead of unique parts. The Sony Walkman was one of the first products to follow the DFA principles, which explains its rapid popularity and adoption in the early 1990s. DFA offers more flexibility in terms of incorporating product security and manufacturing features. This is as follows:

Quick fixing of features
Minimized removal of parts and components
Saving money on materials costs
No repetitive work

Testing the assembled product under initial conditions such as temperature, humidity, vibrations, etc.

Control of parts

In order to meet the functional requirements of product manufacturing, the design of assemblies must be more transparent. As a result, DFM and DFA often come together in what is now known as Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA).

Design for manufacturing and assembly

Process design and improvement are at the heart of a successful product development initiative. The basic method is to minimize the parts involved in the design. The DFMA analysis is based on the behavior of knowledge where functional design must be taken into account. The DFMA analysis aligns the company's marketing position with costs, purchases, and materials requirements. Some of the factors taken into account include:

Understand the movement of all parts and components in relation to their neighboring parts and components

Understand the material requirements of the different parts and know the replacement procedures
Reduce the complexity of the design to an easy level so that the best value can be derived from the whole operation.

In conclusion

Mechanical engineering services focus on the details of value engineering where "small is getting better" and the migration of old methods to new ones is in vogue through legacy conversion. Increasingly, design for manufacturing and assembly design is seen as the best way to achieve results.

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