DFM | product development
The earlier manufacturing is considered in the product design process the greater the benefi t in terms of cost and
quality. Andre Eichhorn explains how in the fi rst in a series of articles covering design for manufacturing (DFM)
Good product design needs a structured approach
A product is conceived as an industrial design and then, in most manufacturing organisations, is handed over to a mechanical design team charged with responsibility for making the product work. At this stage in the product development process, designers are primarily focused on aspects such as industrial design, function- ality and robustness of the fi nal product. Sometimes aspects such as tooling, material selection, moulding process and post processes - all of which have a critical infl uence in determining the ultimate cost of the component or product - are overlooked. It is almost always easier to incorporate essential
changes to the product at this early stage because the design is not fi xed. In a recent mould project taken on by
www.injectionworld.com
AST Technology, optimisation of the component design made it possible to reduce material usage by 26%, while also achieving improvements in fi lling, cooling time and overall part quality. Cycle time was halved. The investment in design optimisation in this case paid off in costs; the part price using the original design was calculated at €0.43 but the improved design was calculated to €0.24. The annual saving, based on a
volume of 450,000 pieces / year, was calculated to €85,000. Had these changes been applied to the design after the tool was built then cores and cavities worth thousands of Euros might have had to be rebuilt. There are a very wide range of production-related factors that infl uence product design and, as a conse-
September 2012 | INJECTION WORLD 51
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