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Concurrent Engineering

DFMA helps break the old design vs. manufacturing pattern by providing the structured methodology and quantitative analysis data that Concurrent Engineering teams base informed decisions upon.

Concurrent Engineering is a new product development environment where all individuals responsible for development and production are involved at the earliest stages of product design.  70 to 80 percent of a product’s cost is locked in at these early stages of development, when the product’s configuration is determined and choices are made for the manufacturing processes and materials from which the product will be made.  If a product is to end up cost competitive, it is absolutely essential that cost be a consideration when these decisions are made.  DFMA helps guide design teams through this critical stage of product development with cost information, even before CAD models exist.

DFMA assists product development teams in key areas of Concurrent Engineering:

Enables a big picture view of a product’s design
Often, designers will focus on the individual parts within a product design.  In reality, the product attributes that are most important to the customer are much more sensitive to changes in the product structure.  DFMA helps design teams simplify the product structure to reduce part count, improve manufactured quality, improve reliability, and reduce overall cost.

Optimize selection of materials and manufacturing processes
The design of a manufactured part is heavily dependent on the material and process by which it is made.  For example, an aluminum die cast part and a steel sheet metal part would be designed entirely differently even though they both serve an identical function.  For this reason, an appropriate material and process must be selected before part design can begin.  Frequently, performance objectives can be satisfied using many different alternative material and process combinations, each differing in manufacturing cost.  Like a compass to point designers in the right direction, DFMA helps to identify the material and process combinations that will satisfy functional requirements at minimum cost before detail design has begun.

Improve communication and teamwork
DFMA identifies the major cost drivers for each manufacturing process so that both manufacturing and design can ask the essential cost related questions at the most relevant time.  Communication, understanding, and teamwork are all improved because DFMA results are provided in terms of time and cost, a language common to both design and manufacturing.

When a customer evaluates various products for purchase, cost is quite frequently one of their most important concerns along with functionality and quality.  DFMA utilized in a Concurrent Engineering environment can be an important part of your overall new product development process to improve all three of these requirements.
 
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Additional topics:

Design for Manufacture

Design for Assembly

Design for Environment

Supplier Costing

Target Costing

Concurrent Engineering

COMMUNICATION

Stoking the DFMA Campfire

Sitting around a fire, staring into the flames, and talking about the day has to be one of the oldest traditions in human history.  We can only imagine the problems our ancestors kicked around their campfires, talking over solutions while the embers faded and sleep beckoned.  I like to picture the guy who can’t resist getting up to poke at the coals, trying to get the flames to burn brighter for just a bit longer.

To me, it doesn’t seem like such a stretch to compare this image with what goes on in every DFMA workshop.  Groups of people gather around the product design to discuss the intricacies of manufacture and assembly.  Open communications, fostering of ideas, and an objective approach to data usually lead to the best solutions.

Nick Dewhurst