Design for Manufacturing and Assembly

1. Edward C. Lai
& Associates
es
MA P rincipl f parts
DF ber o
he num fasteners
Introduction to imize t
1. Min ize the use o
im
2. Min rdize
f
s
da ponent
3. Stan difficult com mblies
id se
Design For Manufacturing and 4. Avo odular subas arts
m
5. Use ultifunctiona n's
m
lp
tio
6. Use ize reorienta ures
Assembly (DFMA) im
7. Min lf-locating fe
se
8. Use special tooli
id
at
ng
ty ps
9. Avo e accessibili & process ste
vid ations
10. Pro ze oper
nimi
11. Mi
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 1

2. Edward C. Lai
What is DFMA? & Associates
A proactive product design process that focuses on
meeting customer requirements while balancing among
cost, quality and performance. It is a concurrent
engineering team approach that involves engineering,
manufacturing and suppliers early in the design cycle.
The best results occur when DFMA is used in the
product conceptual stage. The cross-functional team
work towards minimizing the number of components,
manufacturing steps and operations while designing to
proven manufacturing capabilities. Optimal Thinking®
is the core of all activities.
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 2

3. Edward C. Lai
& Associates
es
Design Philosophy DF MA P
imize t
h
rincipl f parts
er o
e numb asteners
ff
1. Min ize the use o
im
2. Min rdize s
da ponent
3. Stan difficult com mblies
“The best design is the simplest id
4. Avo odular subas arts
m
5. Use ultifunctiona n's
se
lp
m tio
6. Use ize reorienta ures
one that works.” im
7. Min lf-locating fe
se
8. Use special tooli
at
ng
id ty ps
9. Avo e accessibili & process ste
vid t io n s
10. Pro e opera
nimiz
11. Mi
Albert Einstein
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 3

4. Design Complexity Edward C. Lai
& Associates
(Components through Systems)
&
Bells es Ba
Requ tl Ha d
irem
ents Whis bit
s
ir
ase
Repa
100% Test
in C
res Over
1 0 0%
J us t
Design
eatu
ows
Sp
ed F
ed C
ec
s.
Creep
Add
Sacr
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 4

5. Edward C. Lai
How to Attack Complexity ? & Associates
One Bite at a Time
• Apply Design Simplification Rules
• Challenge “Old” Beliefs
• Take a “New” look at Current Design
• Work as a Team
• Use a Facilitated Process
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 5

6. Edward C. Lai
DFMA Methodology & Associates
SELECTION OF BEST IDEAS /
DESIGN OPTIONS
IMPLEMENTATION AND
CONTINUOUS OPTIMIZATION
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 6

7. Edward C. Lai
DFMA Basic Principles & Associates
1. Minimize the number and types of parts used in the assembly
2. Minimize the use of fasteners (number & types)
3. Standardize (e.g. material, finishes, parts, processes, tooling, etc.)
4. Avoid difficult components (e.g. open-ended springs, small/loose HW, etc.)
5. Use modular subassemblies
6. Use multifunctional parts
7. Minimize reorientation & assembler awkward movements
(e.g. stooping, bending, reaching, tugging, balancing, etc.)
8. Use self-locating features (e.g. molded shapes, keying, chamfers, dimples)
9. Avoid special tooling/test equipment
10. Provide accessibility for assembly, test/inspection and rework
11. Minimize operations & process steps (including excess handling, etc.)
Eliminate...Minimize...Standardize...”Productionize”
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 7

8. Edward C. Lai
Typical Participants & Associates
Systems Eng
Electrical Eng
Mechanical Eng
Material & Process Eng
Manufacturing
Manufacturing Eng
Supply Chain Management
Key Suppliers
Program Office
Customer
Quality
Subject Matter Experts (Outside of the design team)
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 8

9. Edward C. Lai
Typical Workshop Agenda & Associates
• Introduction to DFMA
• Objectives, programmatics, commonality
• DFMA Overview
• Scope, deliverables, decision criteria, rules
• Baseline design overview
• Design ground rules and requirements
• Identify issues on cost, schedule and performance
• Brainstorm, evaluate and select best alternatives
• Define optimal assembly process
• Review assumptions, action items and parking lot
• Next steps
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 9

10. Edward C. Lai
Decision Criteria & Associates
• Cost (Implementation)
• Cost (Recurring)
• Schedule
• Risk (Technical, schedule, cost)
• Performance
: Better than baseline : Same as baseline : Worse than baseline
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 10

11. Edward C. Lai
& Associates
For more information on DFMA, please contact :
Ed Lai
310-365-0629
elai001@aol.com
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 11