How DFM Promotes Scalability, Repeatability, And Profitability

DFM discussion must be concise and backed by both historical data and up-to-the-minute insights, e.g., discovered through prototyping, test runs, etc. It is critical that OEMs see and understand the benefits of taking time to build a mold or create automation more robustly because, although time is being lost up front, long-term savings and higher annual volume production can be realized.

This article explores a case study in which device design changes and tweaks to the production process enabled SMC to deliver high production volumes — the project covered 14 different SKUs comprising four million units annually — while simultaneously offering design and engineering suggestions to minimize the likelihood of quality issues and to lower cost, combining goals that typically do not align well.