DFMA: SHOULD COSTING
DFMA: PRODUCT SIMPLIFICATION
What is DFMA: Product Simplification?
DFMA: Product Simplification uses an intuitive question-and-answer workflow to identify parts that can be consolidated or eliminated while maintaining 100% functionality. Applying industry-tested minimum-part criteria, the software highlights opportunities to reduce fasteners, simplify handling and orientation, and streamline fastening, resulting in a more elegant product that is easier and less costly to assemble.
Every design choice is scored against handling and fastening penalties, and the overall DFA Index gives your team an objective benchmark to track improvement across iterations, compare alternatives, and document progress for design reviews.
Spot consolidation opportunities and quantify assembly efficiency with the DFA Index.
Why teams choose Product Simplification
Rate each part by how it's grasped, oriented, moved, inserted, and fastened. Designs that assemble easily tend to cost less; DFMA quantifies those penalties so you can remove them by design.
Bring design, manufacturing, service, and sourcing into a single, objective discussion. DFMA provides a shared scorecard and concrete suggestions that move reviews from debate to decision.
Use the DFA Index to compare design alternatives internally, or against competing products, independent of product size or complexity. Track improvements as the design evolves.
Fewer parts and simpler interfaces mean fewer failure modes. Teams sharpen skills around theoretical minimum part count and eliminate unnecessary complexity early.
How it works
Product Simplification follows a structured, repeatable workflow that any cross-functional team can run. No cost-modeling expertise required.
Capture the current assembly hierarchy, subassemblies, and key functions. Import from CAD (STEP, STL, IGES) or build the structure manually from a physical product or parts list.
For each part, answer three minimum-part criteria: Does it move relative to adjacent parts? Must it be a different material? Must it be separate for assembly or disassembly? Parts that fail all three are candidates for consolidation.
The software calculates handling and fastening penalties for every part and produces the DFA Index, giving your team a single number to track assembly efficiency.
Review the Suggestions for Redesign report: specific, actionable recommendations for consolidation, reorientation, and fastener elimination based on the analysis results.
Compare cost implications of the shortlisted concepts using DFMA: Should Costing. Parts link directly between the two modules for a complete product cost picture.
What success looks like
Teams using DFMA: Product Simplification consistently report measurable structural improvements across their product lines. First-pass analyses typically surface significant consolidation opportunities:
First-pass analyses commonly identify 20-60% of parts as consolidation candidates. Fasteners, brackets, and separate covers are the most frequent targets.
Fewer handling and orientation steps, simpler fastening operations, reduced operator touch time. Teams routinely cut estimated assembly time by 30% or more on redesigned assemblies.
Fewer unique parts means a shorter BOM, fewer suppliers to manage, fewer part numbers to stock, and lower procurement overhead across the product line.
Documented improvement across design iterations with before/after comparisons. Provides objective evidence for design reviews and stage-gate approvals.
Frequently asked questions
What is the DFA Index?
The DFA Index is a dimensionless measure of assembly efficiency. It compares the theoretical minimum assembly time (based on the minimum number of parts, each inserted under ideal conditions) to the estimated actual assembly time. A higher index means a more efficient design. Teams use it to benchmark designs against each other, track improvement across iterations, and set measurable simplification targets.
What are minimum part criteria?
Minimum part criteria are three questions applied to each component in an assembly: Does this part move relative to all other parts already assembled? Must it be made of a different material than the parts already assembled? Must it be separate to allow assembly or disassembly of other parts? If the answer to all three is no, the part is a candidate for consolidation. This methodology was developed by Dr. Geoffrey Boothroyd and Dr. Peter Dewhurst and has been refined over 40+ years of industrial application.
How long does a Product Simplification analysis take?
A first-pass analysis of a typical subassembly (15-40 parts) takes 1-2 hours. The software's guided Q&A workflow and pre-populated assembly operations library mean no prior cost-modeling expertise is required. More complex products with hundreds of parts can be structured in a day and then refined iteratively.
How does Product Simplification relate to Should Costing?
Product Simplification identifies which parts to consolidate or eliminate and quantifies assembly efficiency. Should Costing then estimates what each remaining part should cost based on manufacturing process physics. They are integrated within the same DFMA platform: parts analyzed in Product Simplification link directly to Should Costing estimates for a complete picture of product cost.
Can I use Product Simplification without CAD files?
Yes. Product Simplification can import from STEP, STL, and IGES files, but CAD is not required. Teams routinely run analyses from a physical product on a table, a photograph, or a simple parts list. The key inputs are the assembly structure and the answers to the guided questions about each part's function.
See how DFMA simplifies your products
Bring a product you're working on. We'll walk through a live analysis, identify consolidation opportunities, quantify the DFA Index, and show you exactly where assembly cost hides.
