Design for manufacture and assembly

AJC Design Engineering applies DFMA design techniques during the early design stage following the principals of good product design to facilitate easy, cost effective assembly:

Reduce part count

Reduce part types or standardisation

Elimination of adjustments

Self-alignment and self locating

Adequate access and visibility

Ease of handling of parts from bulk

Minimise reorientations during assembly

Maximise part symmetry or emphasise asymmetry

The importance of designing for assembly/manufacturing is underlined by the fact that about 70% of assembly/manufacturing costs of a part or system (cost of materials, mounting, connecting and processing) are determined by design decisions, with production decisions (such as process planning or machine tool selection) responsible for only 20%. The designer plays a key role in the development of the part or system assembly/manufacturing process. If designs are not designed for Assembly or Manufacturability, improvements in the assembly process will have very limited results.