Having minimized the number of parts needed through DFA as well as making assembly easier and

cheaper, it’s time to look at the cost to manufacture each individual part. That’s the role of DFA or
Design for Manufacturing.

There are basically 4 steps needed in DFM:

1. Pick the best process. Should your part be cast, sheet metal fabbed, CNC Machined, or?
2. Pick the best material. What’s the cheapest material in all respects (easy to work with in the
chosen process is a factor) for the part?
3. Tolerances: What are the absolute minimum number of Tolerances with the widest
allowable variance that will allow the part to function properly?
4. Optimize the Process: Investigate changes to particular aspects of geometry and part
features to reduce costs.

DFMA Principles and Guidelines

So, we have Process, Materials, and Tolerances under control. It’s time to take the final step by
optimizing the part’s geometry and certain features to minimize manufacturing costs further. Here’s
our giant list of DFM Principles and Guidelines to help:

Simplify the design /Material Consider which shapes are cheaper to acquire versus which
Shape shapes are closer to the finished part and hence require less
machining to complete. Bar stock can often be had for 1/2 the
cost of plate for a given material. It’ll take some careful
calculations to tell which is cheaper to manufacture. If volumes
are large enough castings or extrusions may further reduce
machining time.
Simplify the design /Material an allowance for machining that doesn’t require too much step up
Size in rough stock size lest waste the time and material cost of
turning that extra stock into chips.
Design within process The cheapest form of material removal often comes at the rough
capabilities / Rough Stock stock preparation stage.
Preparation
Design for efficient joining & The tighter the tolerances, the higher the manufacturing costs.
fastening
/ Keep Tolerances Loose
avoid unneeded surface finish cut a tight corner radius with a tool whose diameter is more than
requirements/ Depth of Cut vs twice the corner radius. At the same time, the stiffness of a tool
Radius of Corners changes with the third power of length and the fourth power of
diameter. Making the tool twice as long makes it 1/8 as rigid.
Making the tool twice the diameter makes it 16x more rigid.
Design for efficient joining & Where possible, specify through holes as they facilitate chip
fastening/ Through Holes and evacuation.
Deep Holes
Edge Preparation It’s generally cheaper to chamfer an edge than to radius the edge.
Avoid Thin Walls, Thin Webs, Thin walls and webs are prone to chatter (which slows down
and Similar Features machining speeds), distortion (so it’s hard to hold tolerances with
them), and are more easily damaged on the assembly line.
avoid unneeded surface finish Undercuts are a lot more trouble to program and machine in most
requirements/ Avoid cases so make sure you really need them before specifying them
Undercuts and Similar on a part.
Features that Require Special
Machining
Provide Tool Clearance When 90-degree shoulders provide less tool clearance than tapered
Turning shoulders and so are more trouble.
Minimize flexible parts & There is a myriad of ways to minimize the costs associated with
interconnections threads and tapping including:
/ Threads and tapping – Minimize the threaded length in the hole. 1.5x the major
diameter often provides sufficient strength.
– Avoid blind holes where possible. If you must thread a blind
hole, allow room at the bottom of the hole for 1/2 major diameter
more than the threads.
– Don’t over-specify the thread percentage. A 75% thread has
95% of the strength of a 100% thread but only requires 1/3 the
torque–so it is much less likely to break a tap
-Avoid tight tolerances on thread depths as they’re expensive to
implement.
Design for ease of assembly Where possible design parts to be made in as few setups as
/ Minimize Setups possible–preferably in one setup.
For turning, try to put all the precision features so they can be
turned in one go without having to remove or “flip” the part.
Design for ease of assembly adding keys or asymmetrical features such as the placement of
Design for Multiple Setups holes that interact with the fixture.
and Fixturing
Design for automated Be cognizant that the machine tool has a limited number of slots
production/ Minimize Tooling in its tool changer and each one is valuable. Try to design the part
Requirements to use as few different tools as possible.
Design for automated Any change that saves a tool change will save time. For example,
production/ Minimize Tool using fewer unique hole sizes.
Changes