Design for Manufacturing

Teaching materials to accompany:

Product Design and Development
Chapter 13
Karl T. Ulrich and Steven D. Eppinger
5th Edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2012.

Product Design and Development

Karl T. Ulrich and Steven D. Eppinger
5th edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2012.
Chapter Table of Contents:
1.
Introduction
2.
Development Processes and Organizations
3.
Opportunity Identification
4.
Product Planning
5.
Identifying Customer Needs
6.
Product Specifications
7.
Concept Generation
8.
Concept Selection
9.
Concept Testing
10. Product Architecture
11. Industrial Design
12. Design for Environment
13. Design for Manufacturing
14. Prototyping
15. Robust Design
16. Patents and Intellectual Property
17. Product Development Economics
18. Managing Projects

Product Development Process

Planning

Concept
Development

System-Level
Design

Detail
Design

Testing and
Refinement

Production
Ramp-Up

How can we emphasize manufacturing issues

throughout the development process?

Outline

DFX concept
DFM objectives
DFM method
Mfg. cost estimation
DFM impacts
DFM examples

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Design for Manufacturing Example:

GM 3.8-liter V6 Engine

Understanding Manufacturing Costs

Definition
Design for manufacturing (DFM) is a development
practice emphasizing manufacturing issues
throughout the product development process.
Successful DFM results in lower production cost
without sacrificing product quality.

Introduction
DFM is part of DFX
DFM often requires a cross-function team
DFM is performed through the development
process

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Major DFM objectives

Reduce component costs
Reduce assembly cost
Reduce production support costs

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The DFM Process (5 steps)

1)
2)
3)
4)

Estimate the mfg. costs

Reduce the costs of components
Reduce the costs of assembly
Reduce the costs of supporting
production
5) Consider the impact of DFM decisions
on other factors.
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Estimate mfg. costs

Cost categories
Component vs. assembly vs. overhead
Fixed vs. variable
Material vs. labor
Estimate costs for standard parts
Compare to similar part in use
Get a quote from vendors
Estimate costs of custom made parts
Consider material costs, labor costs, and tooling costs
Depend on the production volume as well
Estimate costs of assembly
Summing up all assembly operations (time by rate)
Estimate the overhead costs
A % of the cost drives

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Reduce the costs of components

Identify process constraints and cost drivers
Redesign components to eliminate processing
steps

Choose the appropriate economic scale for the

part process
Standardize components and their processes
Adhere the black-box component
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Reduce the costs of assembly

Integrate parts (using the Boothroyd
method)
Maximize ease of assembly
Consider customer assembly (do-ityourself) technology driven products

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Reduce the costs of

supporting production

Minimize systematic complexity (such as

plastic injection modeling for one step of
making a complex product)
Error proofing (anticipate possible failure
modes in the production system and take
appropriate corrective actions early in the
development process)

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Considering impacts

Development time
Development cost
Product quality
External factors such as
component reuse and
life cycle costs

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Design for Manufacturing Example:

1993 GM 3800cc V6 Engine Design

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DFM example

Exhibit 13-15 on Page 274

Unit cost saving of 45%
Mass saving of 66% (33 Kg.)
Simplified assembly and service procedures.
Improved emissions performance
Improved engine performance
Reduce shipping costs (due to lighter components)
Increased standardization across vehicle programs.

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Cost Appendices
Materials costs
Exhibit 13-17 on page 279

Component mfg. costs

Exhibits 13/18-21 on pages 280-283

Assembly costs
Page 286 for common products
Page 287 for part handling and insertion times on
Ex. 13-23
Cost structures for firms on Ex 13-24.
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Design for X
Design principles
Part shape strategies:

adhere to specific process design guidelines

if part symmetry is not possible, make parts very
asymmetrical
design "paired" parts instead of right and left hand parts.
design parts with symmetry.
use chamfers and tapers to help parts engage.
provide registration and fixturing locations.
avoid overuse of tolerances.

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Design for X
Design principles

Standardization strategy

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use standard parts

standardize design features
minimize the number of part types
minimize number of total parts.
standardize on types and length of linear materials and
code them.
consider pre-finished material (pre-painted, pre-plated,
embossed, anodized).
combine parts and functions into a single part.
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Design for X
Design principles
Assembly strategies 1
design product so that the subsequent parts can be added to
a foundation part.
design foundation part so that it has features that allow it to
be quickly and accurately positioned.
Design product so parts are assembled from above or from
the minimum number of directions.
provide unobstructed access for parts and tools
make parts independently replaceable.
order assembly so the most reliable goes in first; the most
likely to fail last.
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Design for X
Design principles

Assembly strategies 2

make sure options can be added easily

ensure the product's life can be extended with
future upgrades.
use sub-assemblies, especially if processes are
different from the main assembly.
purchase sub-assemblies which are assembled and
tested.
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Design for X
Design principles

Fastening strategies 1

use the minimum number of total fasteners

use fewer large fasteners rather than many small fasteners
use the minimum number of types of fasteners
make sure screws should have the correct geometry so that
auto-feed screwdrivers can be used.
design screw assembly for downward motion
minimize use of separate nuts (use threaded holes).
consider captive fasteners when applicable (including
captive nuts if threaded holes are not available).
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Design for X
Design principles
Fastening strategies 2
avoid separate washers and lockwashers (make it be
captivated on the bolt or nut so it can still spin with respect
to the fastener)
use self-tapping screws when applicable.
eliminate fasteners by combining parts.
minimize use of fasteners with snap-together features.
consider fasteners that push or snap on.
specify proper tolerances for press fits.
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Design for X
Design principles
Assembly motion strategies

fastened parts are located before fastener is applied.

assembly motions are simple.
Assembly motions can be done with one hand or robot.
assembly motions should not require skill or judgment.
products should not need any mechanical or electrical
adjustments unless required for customer use.
minimize electrical cables; plug electrical sub-assemblies
directly together.
minimize the number of types of cable.
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Design for X
Design principles
Automation handling strategies 1

design and select parts that can be oriented by automation

design parts to easily maintain orientation
use parts that will not tangle when handled in bulk.
use parts what will not shingle when fed end to end (avoid
disks).
use parts that not adhere to each other or the track.
specify tolerances tight enough for automatic handling.
avoid flexible parts which are hard for automation to
handle.
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Design for X
Design principles

Automation handling strategies 2

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make sure parts can be presented to automation.

make sure parts can be gripped by automation.
parts are within machine gripper span.
parts are within automation load capacity.
parting lines, spruces, gating or any flash do not
interfere with gripping.

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Design for X
Design principles

Quality and test strategies

product can be tested to ensure desired quality

sub-assemblies are structured to allow sub-assembly
testing
testing can be performed by standard test instruments
test instruments have adequate access.
minimize the test effort spent on product testing consistent
with quality goals.
tests should give adequate diagnostics to minimize repair
time.

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Design for X
Design principles

DF Maintenance strategies 1

provide ability for tests to diagnose problems

make sure the most likely repair tasks are easy to perform.
ensure repair tasks use the fewest tools.
use quick disconnect features
ensure that failure or wear prone parts are easy to replace
with disposable replacements
provide inexpensive spare parts in the product.
ensure availability of spare parts.

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Design for X
Design principles

Maintenance strategies 2

use modular design to allow replacement of modules.

ensure modules can be tested, diagnosed, and adjusted
while in the product.
sensitive adjustment should be protested from accidental
change.
the product should be protected from repair damage.
provide part removal aids for speed and damage
prevention.
protect parts with fuses and overloads
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Design for X
Design principles
Maintenance strategies 3
protect parts with fuses and overloads
ensure any sub-assembly can be accessed through one door
or panel.
access over which are not removable should be selfsupporting in the open position.
connections to sub-assemblies should be accessible and
easy to disconnect.
make sure repair, service or maintenance tasks pose no
safety hazards.
make sure sub-assembly orientation is obvious or clearly
marked.
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Design for X
Design principles
Maintenance strategies 4
make sure sub-assembly orientation is obvious or clearly marked.
provide means to locate sub-assembly before fastening.
design products for minimum maintenance.
design self-correction capabilities into products
design products with self-test capability.
design products with test ports
design in counters and timers to aid preventative maintenance.
specify key measurements for preventative maintenance programs
include warning devices to indicate failures.

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Design for X
Design principles
Axomatic Design by Nam Suh
Axiom 1
In good design, the independence of functional
requirements is maintained.

Axiom 2
Among the designs that satisfy axiom 1, the best
design is the one that has the minimum
information content.

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Design for X
Design principles
Axiomatic design- corollaries
Decouple or separate parts of a solution if functional requirements are
coupled or become coupled in the design of products and processes.
Integrate functional requirements into a single physical part or
solution if they can be independently satisfied in the proposed
solution.
Integrate functional requirements and constraints.
Use standardized or interchangeable parts whenever possible.
Make use of symmetry to reduce the information content.
Conserve materials and energy.
A part should be a continuum if energy conduction is important.

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Design for X
Design principles

DFA Method: Boothroyd and Dewhurst

Apply a set of criteria to each part to
determine whether, theoretically, it should be
separated from all the other parts in the
assembly.
Estimate the handling and assembly costs for
each part using the appropriate assembly
process - manual, robotic, or high-speed
automatic.
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Design for X
Design principles

Three criteria

Is there a need for relative motion?

Is there a need for different materials
Is there a need for maintenance?

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Design for Assembly Rules

Example set of DFA guidelines
from a computer manufacturer.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Minimize parts count.

Encourage modular assembly.
Stack assemblies.
Eliminate adjustments.
Eliminate cables.
Use self-fastening parts.
Use self-locating parts.
Eliminate reorientation.
Facilitate parts handling.
Specify standard parts.

Design for Assembly

Key ideas of DFA:
Minimize parts count
Maximize the ease of handling parts
Maximize the ease of inserting parts

Benefits of DFA
Lower labor costs

Other indirect benefits

Popular software developed by

Boothroyd and Dewhurst.
http://www.dfma.com

To Compute Assembly Time

Handling Time
+ Insertion Time
Assembly Time

Method for Part Integration

Ask of each part in a candidate design:
1. Does the part need to move relative to the rest of
the device?
2. Does it need to be of a different material because
of fundamental physical properties?
3. Does it need to be separated from the rest of the
device to allow for assembly, access, or repair?
If not, combine the part with another part in the
device.

Three Methods to Implement DFM

1. Organization: Cross-Functional Teams
2. Design Rules: Specialized by Firm
3. CAD Tools: Boothroyd-Dewhurst Software

DFM Strategy is Contingent

Corporate
Strategy
Product
Strategy

Production
Strategy

DFM
Strategy

Other Images