Design For Manual Assembly (DFMA) Analysis

As a leader in the field of wireless communications consultancy, Plextek undertakes a wide variety of design and development projects, covering a range of product volumes from a single 'one off' unit, to higher volumes that are normally associated with telecom markets. Experience has shown that no matter what the product volume, there is an inherent need for efficiency during the assembly process.

This example (right) is of a prototype utility services monitoring unit. Plextek was able to employ DFMA analysis techniques to study and improve the ease of assembly and the location/fit of the associated parts, whilst satisfying industrial design constraints applied by the client.

The DFMA principles used for this particular project are typical of industry best practice. DFMA looks into ease of fit, number of components, materials, physical access, visual access, size, weight, fixturing etc. The results of these design techniques can be presented in chart form (as shown).

These charts give a simple breakdown of the entire assembly in such areas as number of components, ease of assembly, assembly time etc, and provide visual indication of the efficiency of the product build. The charts also serve to identify any areas of the design that may require further improvement as the design standard matures.

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