A good machine shop in Toronto should understand and practice, at the very least, the two basic principles of design: Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Manufacturing (DFM).
DFA is the principle that calls for design of parts and products for ease of assembly. This is meant to keep production at a low cost while keeping focus on the number of parts, handling, and again, ease of assembly. On the other hand, the DFM principle is meant to help optimize the manufacturing process of the collection of parts that will form the product after assembly. DFM can be a tool used to choose the most suitable and cost effective material and process early in production.
There are three major differences between these two methods. First, DFA is concerned only in the reduction of product assembly costs while DFM attempts to tackle the overall part production costs reduction. While DFM is aiming at minimizing complexities in manufacturing operations, DFA is looking at reducing the number of assembly operations. And finally, the individual parts in Design for Assembly tend to have more complex designs whereas Design for Manufacturing makes use of common datum features and primary axes.
While there are differences between DFM and DFA, they also have some similarities. They both seek to reduce labor, overhead, and material costs. This is to ensure that prices remain reasonable and that production volume can grow accordingly. Both processes also aim to reduce product development cycle time. Recent developments in the field of machining have resulted in both processes being incorporated into a single methodology known as Design for Manufacturing and Assembly, known as DFMA.
If you’re looking for a trustworthy machine shop in Toronto with high standards of quality, look no further than RWD Tool & Machine. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do.
