Design for Manufacturing (DFM) report, which is a bridge between product developers and mold makers. It has been used in many manufacturing industries and has proven to be an effective way to increase efficiency. A comprehensive DFM reporting mold manufacturing project will be the first step to success. As a mold maker, the more potential problems you foresee, the less risk you have in the manufacturing process. Here is a summary.
Correct choice of resin
There are many commonly used raw materials, such as PC, PC+ABS, ABS, PS, HIPS, nylon, glass or fiber filling materials, which have different applicability and price. More importantly, the difference in shrinkage is a key factor in measurement and tolerance accuracy.
Draft angle
The draft angle is a necessary condition for the part to be released from the cavity, but it will slightly change the design of the original product. It should be done by the mold maker and the mold designer.
Thickness design
The thickness of the ribs should be about 60% of the wall thickness to avoid uneven wall thickness and avoid thin wall area as much as possible.
Control method
The choice of gate location is critical when parts require a high surface finish. What kind of gate determines the way the product is produced, and even determines the cost of mass production.
Mechanical structure / parting line
Briefly introduce the mechanical structure of the slider, lifter and so on used in the mold design. Make sure the parting line is accepted.
Finishing and engraving
Defines the finish of the part’s surface, which can have multiple finishes on a single part. Define the location of the engraving and content.
Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) are the integration of product design and process planning into one common activity. The goal is to design a product that is easily and economically
manufactured. The importance of designing for manufacturing is underlined by the fact that about 70% of manufacturing costs of a product (cost of materials, processing, and assembly) are determined by design
decisions, with production decisions (such as process planning or machine tool selection) responsible for only 20%. The heart of any design for manufacturing system is a group of design principles or guidelines that are structured to help the designer reduce the cost and difficulty of manufacturing an item
DFM is intended to prevent:
Product designs that simplify assembly operations but require more complex and expensive components
Designs that simplify component manufacture while complicating the manufacture process
Designs that are simple and inexpensive but are difficult or expensive to service and support
I think that is a good overview of the general concept of what DFM is. So the next question is “why is it a problem? There are a number of possible answers for this question.
First possible answer is that the manufacturing technologies are continuously changing so it is difficult to keep up with the new technologies available. This could be true…I am not sold though.
The next answer could be that engineers are not trained properly coming out of college. This is a possible answer but it seems like it blames the problem on someone else.
DFM needs to occur early in the design process, well before tooling has begun. In addition, properly-executed DFM needs to include all the stakeholders — engineers, designers, contract manufacturer, moldbuilder and material supplier. The intent of this “cross-functional” DFM is to challenge the design — to look at the design at all levels: component, sub-system, system, and holistic levels — to ensure the design is optimized and does not have unnecessary cost embedded in it.