Design for

Manufacturing and Assembly

(DFMA)

By: A. Noor Basha MTech., M.I.E., C.Eng.,

 Terminolog
y

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and design for

assembly (DFA) are the integration of product design
and process planning into one common activity.
The goal is to design a product that is easily and
economically manufactured.

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for

Assembly (DFA) are now commonly referred to as a
single methodology, Design for Manufacturing and
Assembly (DFMA) .
 Differences

Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

concerned with
reducing overall part production cost
minimizes complexity of manufacturing operations
uses common datum features and primary axes

Design for Assembly (DFA)

concerned only with
reducing product assembly cost
minimizes number of assembly operations
 Similarities

• Both DFM and DFA seek to reduce material, overhead,

and labor cost.

• They both shorten the product development cycle time.

• Both DFM and DFA seek to utilize standards to reduce

cost
 Design for Manufacturing

Definition: DFM is the method of design for ease of manufacturing of

the collection of parts that will form the product after assembly.

‘Optimization of the manufacturing

process…’

DFM is a tool used to select the most cost effective material and process to be
used in the production in the early stages of product design.
Types of Material

 Ferrous metals
 Nonferrous metals
 Plastics (Polymers)
 Ceramics, glass,
diamond
 Composites
 Wood
 Properties of Materials
 Mechanical – strength, toughness, ductility hardness,
elasticity, fatigue, etc.

 Physical – density, specific heat, thermal expansion,

conductivity, melting point, and electrical/magnetic properties

 The combination of Mech./Phys. Properties give us strength-

to-weight ratios (Important to aerospace)

 Chemical – oxidation, corrosion, general degradation, toxicity,

flammability

 Manufacturing – determines if can be cast, formed, etc.

General Manufacturing Characteristics of
Various Alloys
Alloy Castability Weldability Machinability
*Aluminum E F E-G
*Copper G-F F G-F
*Gray cast E D G
iron
*White cast G VP VP
iron
*Nickel F F F
*Steel F E F
*Zinc E D E
Note: E, excellent; G, good; F, fair; D, difficult; VP, Very Poor
 Cost and Availability

 Depends on Reliability of Supply and Demand for Material

 Specialized machinery
 Extensive Labor
 Personnel with special skills/training
 Appearance, Service Life, and
Recyclability

 Color, feel, surface texture

 Wear, fatigue can affect performance and service life

 Consideration for disposal after end of service life

 Selecting Manufacturing Processes

 Casting – Expendable/Permanent mold

 Forming/Shaping – Rolling, forging, etc.

 Machining – Turning, milling, grinding, etc.

 Joining – Welding, adhesive, mechanical

 Finishing – Honing, lapping, polishing

 Nanofabrication – NEMS operate on the same level as
biological molecules
Selecting Manufacturing Processes
(cont.)

 Depends on: shape to

be produced and its
properties
 Dimensional Accuracy
& Surface Finish
 Operational &
Manufacturing Costs
 Net Shape Manufacturing

The first operation made on the part is made as close to the

final dimensions, tolerances, surface finish, and
specifications as possible.
 Principles of DFM (DFM Guidelines)

 Simplify and reduce the number of manufacturing

operations
 Standardize materials and use common parts
 Design for efficient joining
 Open tolerance as much as possible
 Avoid special tooling and frequent tool changes
 Select materials for best manufacturability
 Specify ‘acceptable’ surface finish for functionality
 Machine for one primary axis whenever possible
 DESIGN FOR MACHINABILITY

What is Design for Machinability ?

“It is design of part or product which

is considered the ease with which part
or product
can be machined“.
 DESIGN FOR MACHINABILITY

1) STANDARDIZATION:

Utilize standard component.

Utilize standard pre-shaped

workpiece.

Employ standard machined

features.
 DESIGN FOR MACHINABILITY

DESIGN GUIDLINES:

2) CHOICE OF
MATERIAL:

Choose material with

minimum cost.

Utilize raw material in the

standard from the supplier.
 DESIGN FOR MACHINABILITY
DESIGN GUIDLINES:

3) SHAPE AND SIZE OF MATERIAL(General):

 It can be machined on one machine tool.

 workpiece should be gripped so that it can be rigid to withstand

machining force.

 The tool, toolholder, work and workholding device would not

interfere with one another.

 Auxiliary holes or bores should cylindrical and with standard L/D

ratio.
 DESIGN FOR MACHINABILITY

DESIGN GUIDLINES:

3) SHAPE AND SIZE OF MATERIAL(Rotational):

Cylindrical surface should be concentric and plane surface

are normal to the component axis.

Avoid internal features for long component.

Avoid very large or very small L/D ratio.

 DESIGN FOR MACHINABILITY

DESIGN GUIDLINES:

4) ASSEMBLY:

Ensure that each operating machined surface on a component

has a corresponding machined surface on mating component.

Ensure that internal corners do not interfere with a

corresponding external corner on the mating component.
 DESIGN FOR MACHINABILITY

DESIGN GUIDLINES:

5) ACCURACY AND SURFACE FINISH:

Specify the widest tolerance and roughness surface that would

give the required performance for operating surface.
 Grooves
 Consider degree of difficulty in cutting grooves
 Use as big radius as possible in corners (sharp edges are difficult to cut
and keep uniform)
 Holes
 Keep L/D < 3 whenever possible
 Do not specify holes that ‘turn corners’
 Design for assembly (DFA)

 Design for assembly (DFA) is a process by which

products are designed with ease of assembly in mind. If a
product contains fewer parts it will take less time to
assemble, thereby reducing assembly costs.
 Design for
Assembly
Definition: DFA is the method of design of
the
product for ease of assembly.

‘…Optimization of the part/system

assembly’

DFA is a tool used to assist the design teams in the design of products that
will be produced at a minimum cost, focusing on the number of parts, handling and
ease of assembly.
Principles of DFA (Guidelines for Assembly)
 Minimize part count & Types
 Ensure parts self-align & self-locate
 Minimize reorientation (assemble in Z axis) & secondary
operations during assembly
 Encourage modular design
 Ensure parts cannot be installed incorrectly
 Ensure adequate access & unrestricted vision
 Emphasize ‘top-down’ assemblies
 Standardize parts…minimum use of fasteners.
 Design for a base part to locate other components
 Design for component symmetry for insertion
 Reduce the total number of parts

 The reduction of the number of parts in a product is probably the best

opportunity for reducing manufacturing costs. Less parts implies less
purchases, inventory, handling, processing time, development time,
equipment, engineering time, assembly difficulty, service inspection,
testing
Self-locating parts
Self-locating parts
Self-fastening features
 Insertion Issues
 Provide self-aligning & self locating parts
 Insertion Issues
 Ensure parts do not need to be held in position
 Insertion Issues

 Parts are easy to insert.

 Provide adequate access & visibility
 Insertion Issues
 Provide adequate access and visibility
Develop a modular design
The use of modules in product design simplifies
manufacturing activities such as inspection, testing,
assembly, purchasing, redesign, maintenance, service
Use of standard components
Standard components are less expensive than custom-
made items. The high availability of these components
reduces product lead times.
Design parts to be multi-functional
Multi-functional parts reduce the total number of parts
in a design, thus, obtaining the benefits given in rule 1.

Some examples are a part to act as both an electric

conductor and as a structural member, or as a heat
dissipating element and as a structural member.
 Design parts for multi-use

In a manufacturing firm, different products can share

parts that have been designed for multi-use. These parts
can have the same or different functions when used in
different products.

In order to do this, it is necessary to identify the parts that

are suitable for multi-use. For example, all the parts used
in the firm (purchased or made) can be sorted into two
groups: the first containing all the parts that are used
commonly in all products.
 Design for ease of fabrication

Select the optimum combination between the material and

fabrication process to minimize the overall manufacturing
cost.

In general, final operations such as painting, polishing,

finish machining, etc. should be avoided.

Excessive tolerance, surface-finish requirement, and so on

are commonly found problems that result in higher than
necessary production cost.
 Avoid separate
fasteners
The use of fasteners increases the cost of manufacturing a
part due to the handling and feeding operations that have to
be performed.

Besides the high cost of the equipment required for them,

these operations are not 100% successful, so they contribute
to reducing the overall manufacturing efficiency.

In general, fasteners should be avoided and replaced, for

example, by using snap fits.
 Fastening

 Consider the least expensive fastening method that meets the

requirements
 Minimize assembly directions

 All parts should be assembled from one direction. If

possible, the best way to add parts is from above, in a
vertical direction, parallel to the gravitational direction
(downward).

 In this way, the effects of gravity help the assembly process,

contrary to having to compensate for its effect when other
directions are chosen.
Eliminate Secondary Operations
 Re-orientation (assemble in Z axis)
 Screwing, drilling, twisting, riveting, bending, crimping.
 General Design Principles

Symmetry eliminates reorientation

Asymmetric Part Symmetry of a part

makes assembly easier
Top-down assembly
 Component Elimination
Example: Roll bar Redesign
‘..If more than 1/3 of the components in a product
are fasteners, the assembly logic should be
questioned.’

 24 Parts
 2 Parts
 8 different parts
 2 Manufacturing processes
 multiple mfg. & assembly
 one assembly step
processes necessary
Component Elimination
Component Elimination
Component Elimination
Component Elimination
 DESIGN FOR CLAMPABILITY

What is Clampability ?

"Capability of
being clamped"
 DESIGN FOR ACCESSIBILITY

What is Design for

Accessibility ?

“Design for accessibility is a

process by which products are
design with ease of accessibility
in mind“.
DESIGN FOR ACCESSIBILITY
DESIGN FOR ACCESSIBILITY
 DFMA TECHNIQUE

EML4550 2007
 Key DFMA Principles

 Minimize Part Count

 Standardize Parts and Materials
 Create Modular Assemblies
 Design for Efficient Joining
 Minimize Reorientation of parts during Assembly
and/or Machining
 Simplify and Reduce the number of Manufacturing
Operations
 Specify ‘Acceptable’ surface Finishes for functionality
 Benefits of DFMA

 Shorter product development cycle time

 Better quality products

 Development of robust product designs

 Easier transition of designs to production

THANK YOU