DFM and DFMA – What do they mean and how can they be applied?
Design for Manufacture or Manufacturability – a general engineering practice to design and develop products that are easy to manufacture. Concurrent with DFM is DFMA or Design for Manufacturing and Assembly – general techniques used to minimize product cost during the part/system assembly.
The design of a part or assembly drives the overall cost, quality, and cycle time of the finished product. In general, most designs can be built, it is just a matter of time, resources, and money that differentiate between a successful program and a failure. The design of the part drives 60-80% of the costs – only 30% is the actual cost of manufacturing and overhead charges.
Understanding how each of the inputs in the design stage impact how the part will be built is the crucial part of DFM.
Calling out tight tolerances or performance requirements without understanding the impact on the process adds loops of additional cost. The impact can range from additional process steps to the necessity of developing entirely new technology. Sometimes these loops are disastrous causing delivery delays, racking up cost and in some cases program cancellation. This can all be avoided by simply opening lines of communication and working together during the design phase.
At IDC you work directly with our engineering team to custom design your parts. We can explain the impact of inputs on the process and show you how material selection can achieve tight tolerances so your custom part can be made quickly and efficiently. Our highly skilled tenured workforce have save our customers millions.
“Ultra-Precision” Machining – Up to 1 millionth of an inch, consistently holding 10,000ths is standard for us. We also have full turning capabilities and a 1 Degree Room and Clean Room capabilities.
Our goal is to consistently push the limits of machining technology. If you have a new design that you would like to discuss, click here to contact us.