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DFMA Handbook: Design for Manufacturing and Assembly
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DFMA Handbook: Design for Manufacturing and Assembly

Outline of a free practical DFMA handbook in four parts and eleven chapters: part count, handling and insertion, machining, molding, sheet metal, welding, metrics and team practice. In writing, not yet available to download.

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DFMADFMDFAProduct CostManufacturingAssemblyHandbook

Status: in writing. This page shows the planned outline so you can see what the book will cover. The manuscript is not finished and there is nothing to download yet. If you want a note when it is ready, get in touch.

A practical handbook on Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA): how to cut part count, make parts easy to handle and insert, and design for machining, molding, casting, sheet metal and welding, then build the habit into a team. It is written for design engineers who want a lower product cost without a lower quality.

DFMA Handbook cover and four-part outlineDFMA Handbook cover and four-part outline

The planned outline

Four parts, eleven chapters. The planned shape of the DFMA Handbook.Four parts, eleven chapters. The planned shape of the DFMA Handbook.
The planned shape of the handbook.
Part Chapters
I. Fundamentals of DFMA 1. The imperative for DFMA: definitions, the cost-commitment curve, history and the business case. 2. Essential engineering economics: total product cost, assembly cost, manufacturing cost drivers, a worked fastener-assembly exercise.
II. Design for Assembly 3. Minimising part count: the three Boothroyd-Dewhurst criteria, integration strategies, snaps, clips and living hinges. 4. Easy handling and insertion: symmetry, access, chamfers, fastener reduction, poka-yoke. 5. Automated and robotic assembly: feeders, grippers, fixturing, lean line design.
III. Design for Manufacturing 6. Machined components: stock, setups, tolerances and surface finish. 7. Injection molding and casting: draft, walls, ribs, undercuts, gates, die and sand casting. 8. Sheet metal and welding: nesting, bends and K-factor, weld joint design and automation.
IV. Implementing and integrating DFMA 9. Software tools and metrics: the DFA index, DFA efficiency, cost comparison, linking DFMA to CAD and PLM. 10. DFMA in the organisation: multi-disciplinary reviews, training, design for service, environment and logistics. 11. Comprehensive case studies and a capstone project.
Appendices A. Quick-reference DFMA checklists by process. B. Glossary. C. Common material properties and cost tables. D. Solutions to chapter exercises.
A schematic: cost committed rises steeply during early design while cost incurred stays low, so the cheapest changes happen first.A schematic: cost committed rises steeply during early design while cost incurred stays low, so the cheapest changes happen first.
Why DFMA has to start early. The curve is a schematic, not measured data.
Three questions for every part. The Boothroyd-Dewhurst part count criteria (Chapter 3).Three questions for every part. The Boothroyd-Dewhurst part count criteria (Chapter 3).
The three part count questions applied in Chapter 3.
Easy handling, easy insertion. Manual assembly rules (Chapter 4).Easy handling, easy insertion. Manual assembly rules (Chapter 4).
Manual assembly rules from Chapter 4.
Design for each process. Part III by process.Design for each process. Part III by process.
Part III, by process.

Metrics the book builds on

  • DFA index = theoretical minimum assembly time divided by actual assembly time, times 100.
  • DFA efficiency = theoretical minimum number of parts divided by actual number of parts.
  • DFM cost comparison index: the cost of design alternatives against a baseline.
The metrics the book builds on. Three numbers to compare design alternatives.The metrics the book builds on. Three numbers to compare design alternatives.
The three numbers the book compares designs with.
DFMA is a team sport. Chapter 10: who has to be in the review.DFMA is a team sport. Chapter 10: who has to be in the review.
Chapter 10: who has to be in the review.
Appendices. Quick references at the back of the book.Appendices. Quick references at the back of the book.
Quick references at the back of the book.

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