Lesson 14
Product Design and Development
Design for X (DFX)
Dr. Inderdeep Singh
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
1
Design for Excellence (DFX)
• Design for Excellence or DFX is a systematic design approach that entails
wide range of guidelines and standards focused on optimizing the product
realization lifecycle.
• In reality, the term DFX is better thought of as Design for “X” where the
variable X is interchangeable with one of many values depending on the
particular objectives of the venture.
Design for Excellence (DFX) cont..
These guideline ensures the issues related to manufacturing, cost, quality,
assembly and serviceability are addressed at the design stage.
If these guidelines are not adhered during the design stage, it can lead to
engineering changes occurring at later stages of product lifecycle which are
highly expensive and can cause product delays and cost over-runs.
Some of the most common
substitutes for X includes: Design for
Assembly
Design for Design for
• Design for Manufacturing Reliability Manufacturing
(DFM)
• Design for Assembly (DFA)
Design for
Manufacturing
and Assembly DFX Design for
Production
• Design for Manufacturability
and Assembly (DFMA) Design for
Safety
Design for Cost
Design for
• Design for Production
Service
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”
Design for Manufacturing cont..
• Design for manufacturing (DFM) is a development practice, emphasizing
manufacturing issues throughout the product development process.
• Successful DFM results in lower production cost without sacrificing
product quality.
Estimate the Manufacturing Costs
Equipment Information Tooling
Raw Materials
Labor Manufacturing
Finished Goods
Purchased
System
Components
Energy Supplies Services Waste
Source: Ulrich, K. & Eppinger, S. (2000). Product Design and Development. Boston, MA: Irwin McGraw-Hill.
Elements of the Manufacturing Cost of a Product
Manufacturing
Cost
Components Assembly Overhead
Equipment Indirect
Standard Custom Labor and Tooling Support
Allocation
Raw
Processing Tooling
Material
Manufacturing Cost of a Product
• Component Costs (parts of the product)
Parts purchased from supplier
Custom parts made in the manufacturer’s own plant or by suppliers according to the
manufacturer’s design specifications
• Assembly Costs (labor, equipment, & tooling)
• Overhead Costs (all other costs)
Support Costs (material handling, quality assurance, purchasing, shipping, receiving,
facilities, etc.)
Indirect Allocations (not directly linked to a particular product but must be paid for
to be in business)
Fixed Costs vs. Variable Costs
• Fixed Costs: incurred in a predetermined amount, regardless of number of
units produced (i.e. setting up the factory work area or cost of an injection
molding machine)
• Variable Costs: incurred in direct proportion to the number of units
produced (i.e. cost of raw materials)
Proposed Design
DFM Method Estimate the
Manufacutring Costs
Reduce the Costs of Reduce the Costs Reduce the Costs of
Components of Assembly Supporting Production
Consider the Impact of
DFM Decisions on
Other Factors
Recompute the
Manufacturing Costs
Good
N
enough
?
Y
Ulrich, K. & Eppinger, S. (2000). Product Design and Development. Boston,
Acceptable Design
MA: Irwin McGraw-Hill.
DFM Method
• Estimate the manufacturing costs.
• Reduce the costs of components.
• Reduce the costs of assembly.
• Reduce the costs of supporting production.
• Consider the impact of DFM decisions on other factors.
Example
• In a sheet-metal design, specifying hole sizes, locations, and their alignment is critical.
• It is always better to specify hole diameters that are greater than the sheet’s thickness (T).
• Spacing between holes also matters. It should be at least two times the sheet thickness
(2T), if not more.
• Distance between holes ensures strength of the metal and prevents holes from deforming
during the bending or forming processes.
Source: [Link]
Design for Assembly
(DFA)
Design for Assembly
Definition
DFA is the method of design of the product for ease of assembly.
“Optimization of the part/system assembly”
Design for Assembly cont..
• DFA is a tool used to assist the design teams in the design of products that
will transition to production at a minimum cost, focusing on the number of
parts, handling and ease of assembly.
.
Design for Assembly Principles
• Minimize part count
• Design parts with self-locating features
• Design parts with self-fastening features
• Minimize reorientation of parts during assembly
• Design parts for retrieval, handling, & insertion
• Emphasize ‘Top-Down’ assemblies
• Standardize parts…minimum use of fasteners.
• Encourage modular design
• Design for a base part to locate other components
• Design for component symmetry for insertion
Example 1
• Original design for a thermal
gunsight reticle in a US tank,
made by Texas Instruments,
Inc.
• There are a large number of
fasteners.
Source: Boothroyd, Dewhurst and Knight (1994)
• Redesigned thermal gunsight reticle:
simpler to assemble, and less to go
wrong!
Source: Boothroyd, Dewhurst and Knight (1994)
Measuring Improvement
Original Redesign Improvement
Assembly time (h) 2.15 0.33 84.7%
Number of different parts 24 8 66.7%
Total number of parts 47 12 74.5%
Total number of operations 58 13 77.6%
Metal fabrication time (h) 12.63 3.65 71.1%
Weight (lb) 0.48 0.26 45.8%
Example 2
• Redesign of
motor drive
assembly
following
design for
assembly
(DFA)
analysis.
Cost of Assembly Vs Cost of Part Manufacture
Saving Total Saving
Assembly Saving
(DFA)
Part Manufacture
Optimum Saving (DFM)
Part Count Reduction
