Towards more strategic product design for manufacture and assembly: priorities for concurrent engineering

This paper investigates the strategic application of materials and manufacturing process information during the design process. Design For Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) has become an important concurrent engineering imperative for cost effective product design. The basis of design for manufacture and assembly is a systematic procedure for analysing product designs based on the application of quantifiable data. The procedure generates a large amount of information and even in computerised form presents difficulties for decision-making except for the simplest of products. Guidelines encapsulating qualitative information on best design practice facilitate the procedure. Methods are described for effective integration of quantitative and qualitative materials, manufacturing and assembly process information during product design. A discussion is also included on the differences between designing for new products and in designing for changes in existing products.