Application Design for Manufacture and Assembly to Improving Product Design and Development Performance

Abstract: Design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) is a primary consideration in product design and development (PD&D) process. Whereas, there is often lack of sufficient attention to it in practice due to various considerations and influences, which finally results in many unintended circumstance at later stages of product development process. This paper introduced a product design and development procedure and “design-manufacture-assembly” (DMA) system within it, discussed a kind of “Rework” phenomenon generated within “design-manufacture-assembly” system. The author argued that application design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) methodology into “design-manufacture-assembly” (DMA) system in order to reduce “Rework” and therefore improve product design and development (PD&D) performance. This paper presented a product development case study with applying design for manufacture and assembly method to early stage of design process, the prototype was manufactured and properly assembled without “Rework” and modification required at later stages. The results showed that application design for manufacture and assembly into product design and development could improve complex design system performance, like product design and development system. The research bridged the gap between scientific research and best practice in area of application advanced design and manufacture methods into product design and development activities.