Design for manufacturing training course
To increase efficiency and lower overall product cost, engineers and designers must consider the downstream effects their designs have on the rest of the business. Problems associated with manufacturability, assembly, packaging, and shipping can be traced back to negligent design decisions. Design for manufacturing (DFM) helps engineers and designers recognize possible product design issues, avoid common pitfalls in the design and manufacturing process, and impact business efficiency with design improvements. Costs associated with product design and manufacturing decrease when a design team has a meaningful understanding of DFM.
Cost of components
Lowering the cost of components from design to manufacturing is dependent on an understanding of available manufacturing equipment and capabilities. Material considerations, additive manufacturing, and foolproofing assemblies must be taken into account when creating a design.
Designing for assembly
You’ll decrease the cost of manufacturing components and affect the fit and function of products by designing for assembly. Human error and assembly time decrease when there are fewer components to assemble. A simple assembly process supports the implementation of automation strategies for reducing labor costs. You should consider available manufacturing equipment to reduce tolerancing issues and tolerance stackups within your designs.
Considering packaging and shipping
Packaging and shipping are often forgotten elements of product design, but are crucial to product success. The shape of your final product determines how it can be packaged and packaging materials need to be sustainable and cost-effective. The size and packaging of your product determines if it can be shipped in a standard truck or container, and could even alter a trucks delivery route.
Ensure a lower product cost and greater profit for your organization by accounting for the manufacturing, assembly, tolerancing, packaging, and shipping aspects of a product’s life cycle. Simply put, when you lower costs, profit goes up with each unit sold. The full DFM process is outlined in this course and will help you lower the various costs that go into the production of your product.
Nathan Andrews, the author of this course, graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology, has over 10 years experience in manufacturing environments, and over 15 years of experience using solid modeling software such as Inventor and SOLIDWORKS. Nathan’s consulting business, Coastal Design and Engineering, has designed and built automation machines for assembly processes, and worked in medical, automotive, and alternative energy industries.
Earn your SolidProfessor Technical Certificate by completing all of the lessons in this course and scoring 80% or higher on the course review test.
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