Design for manufacture

In the manufacturing sector, it is not unusual to witness production processes performing poorly as a result of insufficient reconciliation of process capabilities with design requirements. The criteria governing the transition from design to manufacturing can be inadequately defined thereby contributing to a crisis atmosphere and launch delays, which can consume a substantial percentage of the revenue potential. Key processes are often poorly understood and frequently modified on the production floor. In an effort to satisfy build plan requirements, a practice of ‘do it anyway’, instead of ‘do it right’, can become a driving principle. How then can this be avoided? Design for manufacture (DFM) is the practice of designing products with manufacturing in mind. Early consideration of manufacturing issues can shorten product development cycle time, minimise overall development cost, and ensure a smooth transition into production. Involving manufacturing early in development is not meant to seek their approval on all aspects of the design. Instead, when complete prototypes have been built, adequate manufacturing input should be sought on the potential manufacturing challenges for the product to migrate into production. This prevents gross assumptions about the manufacturability of the product, which, if proven false, can have costly ramifications on the commercial success of the product. This paper comprises an introduction to DFM, followed by a review of normal practices in industry, and finishing with an approach to implementing DFM in a manufacturing environment.