Comprehensive Design for Manufacturing

In state-of-the-art product development, engineering emphasis is largely placed on designing to meet technical performance and/or customer technical expectation. However, the manufacturing processes and all downstream costs associated with the design must also be addressed for overall product life-cycle success. Numerous sustainable product success studies show that the most effective time to implement cost saving changes is early in the product design cycle.

Comprehensive Design for Manufacturing (CDFM) is a comprehensive body-of-knowledge that goes far beyond just the idea of designing products to be more cost effectively produced. CDFM is better described as an inclusive framework that describes processes, methodologies and techniques for designing products in ways that allow them to be easier, safer and less expensive to manufacture, distribute, service and use. And while these practical ideas exist in almost all engineering disciplines, the practice of implementing CDFM will differ widely depending on the manufacturing technology deployed.

CDFM is ultimately a process and technology that drives product life cycle costs beyond the design phase. There are five different and distinct subsets within the CDFM framework. These include the following topics:

Topics

Design for Fabrication

Design for Fabrication (DFF) includes the processes, methodologies, tools and techniques for designing products in a manner that makes them easier and more effective to fabricate. DFF focuses heavily on connecting knowledge of a company’s existing manufacturing technology with the product designer’s engineering and raw material characterization capabilities. These technologies can include all fabrication, tooling, fixturing and subsequent inspection and testing technologies.

Design for Assembly

Design for Assembly (DFA) includes the processes, methodologies, tools and techniques for designing products in a manner that makes them easier and most effective to assemble. DFA focuses on connecting knowledge of a company’s existing assembly, testing, fixturing and inspection technologies with the product designer’s detailed engineering of to-be-assembled componentry.

Design for Logistics

Design for Logistics (DFL) is about increasing the design engineer’s awareness of downstream product packaging, material handling and transportation constraints… before the product design is finalized and introduced into a production environment. DFL provides tools that can assist engineers to anticipate logistics constraints on design criteria, and shows them how to include the impact of these constraints on total product cost.

Design for Environment & Safety

Design for Environment & Safety (DFE&S) is about increasing the design engineer’s awareness of the product in terms of safety and environmental impact. In terms of safety, DFE&S addresses both safe production of the product as well as safe use of the product once in customer’s hands. In terms of environmental issues, DFE&S addresses how the product will impact the environment, in production, in the market and after the product ceases to be useful. Post-consumer waste-stream mitigation and containment become important design criteria.

Design for Serviceability

Design for Serviceability (DFS) is about increasing the design engineer’s awareness of after-sale product servicing requirements, including refurbishment, field service and warranty management processes… before the initial product design is finalized and introduced into a production environment. DFS provides tools that can assist engineers to anticipate these various forms of after-sale product service requirements on design criteria, and shows them how to include the impact of these constraints on total product life cycle costs.

Benefits

At the conclusion of this 3-day workshop, participants will have a substantially better understanding of what is required to enhance a product's life cycle costs through the use of CDFM processes, tools and methodologies. Further, participants will understand precisely how to implement the CDFM elements to achieve lower costs and enhanced product effectiveness within their specific company.

Learning Methods

This program utilizes a unique learning approach. Participants will learn first-hand through lectures, case studies, videos and exercises about numerous CDFM techniques and methods. They will then explore the application of these techniques on real products that teams of participants will disassemble, dissect and evaluate. Through TWO significant labs, participants will learn first-hand how selected products were engineered in respect to the five views of CDFM.

Selected products encompass electrical, optical, fabrication, assembly, logistics, environmental, safety and serviceability aspects of effective product design. Each participant will be expected to work in a team to define and rethink the product’s design from a CDFM framework perspective... just as if they were the original design engineer. Products chosen for this learning process are sufficiently complex and challenging in their respective designs that participants will have to work in teams to address the CDFM deficiencies and opportunities.

Participants will develop several hands-on presentations during this program using various templates and analytical methodologies to complete their group exercises. If available, participants are encouraged to bring a digital camera (or camera-phone) and a laptop computer to class.

Available at your location

Contact us now to set up this customized course to be delivered at your location. Our subject matter experts will work with your company to customize a course or program to meet your specific needs.

Instructor

Alan Dunn