The design for manufacturability, also known as the design for manufacturing, or DFM for short, is a beneficial engineering practice. Its general goal is to design (or to redesign) a project of a product to simplify the manufacturing process which also makes it faster and cheaper.
It brings beneficial outcomes both for a customer and an EMS provider (electronics manufacturing service provider). What is design for manufacturability (DFM) all about?
Design for manufacturability (DFM)
The main idea of a design for manufacturability (DFM) is to make the design as practical as possible. An engineer working on the design project should take into consideration, among other things:
– what raw materials would be the best for cost reduction while maintaining the quality of a product,
– what technology is going to be used to manufacture the product,
– what errors might occur while manufacturing the product.
Addressing all of those factors in the early stage of design enables several beneficial outcomes that all at the end of a day can be summarized to be saving customers’ money and time.
There is a lesser need for changes while manufacturing
When the design project is highly thought-out, there is less probability of unexpected failures occurring during the manufacturing process. Every delay in the manufacturing process frequently enough doubles the costs of the whole undertaking. What is more, the longer it will take to place the product on the market, the later the product will show income.
The marketing of the product can be started faster
Design for manufacturability (DFM) is something that guarantees a fast and cost-efficient outcome. Consequently, the marketing of the product can be managed faster, even before the product is completed. Of course, launching a marketing campaign can be done faster even if there is no design for manufacturability (DFM) involved. But in that case, there is a higher risk of unexpected delays occurring. Every entrepreneur knows that launching a marketing campaign is costly and when the product is not finished by the end of the campaign – a lot of money is at stake. Design for manufacturability (DFM) is a guarantee of safety in that field.
EMS provider and design for manufacturability (DFM)
All of the qualified EMS providers offer support at the design stage of the customer’s product. But often the customer comes to the EMS provider with the finished design and demands only the manufacturing of a given product. Asking your EMS provider about design for manufacturability (DFM) options is a good practice that can save you money and bring a lot of additional, but still significant, benefits. Until the product is in the manufacturing stage, a team of engineers can always redesign the project to make it more cost-effective. Saving time by neglecting the design project is always a bad idea – it should be always done the other way around. Firstly the design, secondly manufacturing. For more information, see: https://asselems.com/
