Design for Manufacture and Assembly

Design for Manufacture and Assembly


Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) is a Design methodology followed all over the world now. When a product is being designed, it is designed with manufacturing considerations.

Design Considerations

In this Engineering Design approach, all the things that the product has to bear are considered. This does not contain only Modelling, but also the Analysis.
Things considered are:
  • Design Constraints
  • Environment
  • Material Availability
  • Post Machining Processes
  • Assembly

Design Constraints

A designer designing with DMFA approach needs to know beforehand where exactly the part is going to be used and must design accordingly.
The overall space available for the product/part to fit, the way in which the product/part is going to be mounted, the orientation must be considered. The maximum allowed weight may also be a constraint.

Environment

The environment in which the product is going to be used is an important parameter. This will determine the material to be used.
For example: 
  1. If the product is to be used in damp conditions, then it should be corrosion resistant.
  2. If the product is going to be subjected to friction, then it should be hard enough. It should be wear-resistant.
  3. If the product is for children, it should be soft.
  4. If the product is to be used around people, it should not have sharp corners.
  5. etc

Material Availability

Every material has different properties. With a change in the material the strength, hardness, weight, post-machining processes required, and many other parameters change. Therefore, this also needs to be considered.

Post Machining Processes

Hardening, Finishing, Colouring, etc come under post-machining processes. These may differ with a change in the material being used or the machining process.
Example: Finishing processes are needed to be performed on Casted parts

Assembly

The way in which different parts of a product are to be put together needed to be considered. Feature required for various suitable fastener are needed to be designed.
Example: 
  1. Holes for bolts
  2. Internal threads for screws
  3. Hooks for latching
  4. etc

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