Chapter 7

EFFECT OF MANUFACTURING
PROCESSES ON DESIGN

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 1

 Chapter 7: Goal and objectives
The goal of this chapter is to illustrate how the manufacturing
processes influence the design of components, with emphasis on
the following topics:

1. Types of available manufacturing process and their selection

2. Design for manufacture and assembly
3. Design considerations for cast components
4. Design considerations for molded plastic components
5. Design considerations for forged components
6. Design considerations for powder metallurgy parts
7. Designs involving welding processes
8. Designs involving machining processes
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 2
 Classification of manufacturing processes
Many processes form a natural sequence for shape generation.
For example, casting and forging are normally followed by
machining then surface finishing if needed, see Figure 7.1.

Processes can be grouped as follows:

a) Primary processes:
casting, bulk forming (forging, rolling, extrusion), etc.
b) Primary/secondary processes:
joining and welding, sheet-metal work, heat treatment,
metal cutting, etc.
c) Tertiary processes or finishing processes:
surface treatment, grinding, coating, etc.
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 3
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 4
 Selection of manufacturing processes

Not all processes are suitable for all materials.

For example,
• cast iron cannot be forged
• powder metallurgy is uneconomical for a limited production
run.

Table 7.1 outlines the compatibility between some widely used

metallic materials and processes

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 5

 Design for manufacture and assembly
Design example 7.1 - Application of DFMA principles to the
design of a motor-drive assembly I (based on Boothroyd)

It is required to design a motor-drive assembly,

The motor must have a removable cover, a rigid base that supports
both the motor and sensor in addition to sliding up and down the
guide rails.

Figure 7.2 shows a proposed design, which requires two

subassemblies for the motor and sensor in addition to 8
additional parts and 9 screws making a total of 19 items to be
assembled.
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 6
 Table 7.1 Compatibility between some widely used metallic materials and processes

Carbon Stainless Cast iron Al alloys Cu and Mg and Zn and Ti and Super-
steel steel alloys alloys alloys alloys alloys

Sand casting XX XX XX XX XX XX X nr XX
Investment casting XX XX nr XX XX X nr X XX
Die casting nr nr nr XX X XX XX nr nr
Powder metallurgy XX XX nr XX XX nr nr X XX
Forging XX XX nr XX XX XX nr X X
Rolling XX XX nr XX XX XX X X XX
Extrusion X X nr XX XX XX X X X
Sheet-metal work XX XX nr XX XX X X X X
Cold heading XX XX nr XX XX nr nr nr X
Metal cutting XX XX XX XX XX XX XX X X
Fusion welding XX XX X XX XX XX nr XX XX

XX Common practice, X less common or performed with difficulty, nr not recommended

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 7
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 8
Design example 7.1 - Application of DFMA principles to
the design of a motor-drive assembly II
Analysis
It is possible to eliminate some of the parts, see Figure 7.3.
• The number of items is reduced to 6
• The assembly time is reduced from 160 seconds to 46 seconds
• The cost reduced from $1.33 to $0.38.

The base is machined out of nylon instead of aluminum to eliminate

the bushings and reduce the cost of from $2.34 to $0.49.
The new base has less tapped holes, with further reduction of cost.
The total cost is reduced from $35.08 to $22.00 .

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 9

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 10
 Factors to be considered when selecting
casting as a manufacturing process I

1. Casting is particularly suited for parts that contain inaccessible

internal cavities, complex, or large.
2. It is better to cast complex parts when required in large numbers,
especially if they are to be made of aluminum or zinc alloys.
3. Casting techniques can be used to produce a part which is one of a
kind, especially when it is not feasible to make it by machining.
4. Precious metals are usually shaped by casting, as there is little loss
of material.
5. Parts produced by casting have isotropic properties.

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 11

 Factors to be considered when selecting
casting as a manufacturing process II

6. Casting is not competitive when the parts can be produced

by punching from sheet or by deep drawing.
7. Extrusion can be preferable to casting in some cases,
especially in the case of lower - melting nonferrous alloys.
8. Casting is not usually a viable solution when the material
is not easily melted, as in the case of metals with very high
melting points such as tungsten.

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 12

Table 7.2 Approximate values of surface roughness and tolerance that are normally obtained
with different manufacturing processes

Process Typical tolerance (±) Typical surface roughness (Ra)

(mm) (in x 103) (μm) (μin)
Sand casting 0.5-2.0 20-80 12.5-2.5 500-1000
Investment casting 0.2-0.8 8-30 1.6-3.2 63-125
Die casting 0.1-0.5 4-20 0.4-1.6 16-63
Powder metallurgy 0.2-0.4 8-16 0.8-3.2 32-125
Forging 0.2-1.0 8-40 3.2-12.5 125-500
Hot rolling 0.2-0.8 8-30 6.3-25 250-1000
Hot extrusion 0.2-0.8 8-30 6.3-25 250-1000
Cold rolling 0.05-0.2 2-8 0.4-1.6 16-32
Cold drawing 0.05-0.2 2-8 0.4-1.6 16-32
Cold extrusion 0.05-0.2 2-8 0.8-3.2 32-125
Flame cutting 1.0-5.0 40-200 12.5-25 500-1000
Sawing 0.4-0.8 15-30 3.2-25 125-1000
Turning and boring 0.025-0.05 1-2 0.4-6.3 16-250
Drilling 0.05-0.25 2-10 1.6-6.3 63-250
Shaping and planning 0.025-0.125 1-5 1.6-12.5 63-500
Milling 0.01-0.02 0.5-1 0.8-6.3 32-250
Chemical machining 0.02-0.10 0.8-4 1.6-6.3 63-250
EDM and ECM 0.02-0.10 0.8-4 1.6-6.3 63-250
Reaming 0.02-0.05 0.4-2 0.8-3.2 32-125
Broaching 0.01-0.05 0.4-2 0.8-3.2 32-125
Grinding 0.01-0.02 0.4-0.8 0.1-1.6 4-63
Honing 0.005-0.01 0.2-0.4 0.1-0.8 4-32
Polishing 0.005-0.01 0.2-0.4 0.1-0.4 4-16
Lapping and surface finishing 0.004-0.01 0.16-0.4 0.05-0.4 2-16
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 13
Table 7.3 Characteristics of different casting processes and powder metallurgy

Process Alloy Weight Surface finish Tolerance Minimum Porosity Least Relative
thickness rating econ. production
kg μm m/m mm quantity rate

Sand casting Most 0.2 and up 12.5-25 0.03-0.2 3-5 Fair 1 1

Shell Most 0.2-10 1.6-12.5 0.01-0.03 2-5 Good 500 4

molding
Gravity die Non-ferrous 0.2-10 1.6-12.5 0.02-0.05 3-5 Very good 500 4-5
casting
Pressure die Al, Zn, Mg, 0.2-10 0.4-1.6 0.001-0.05 1-2 Excellent 10,000 10
casting Cu alloys
Investment Most 0.1-10 1.6-3.2 0.002-0.005 0.5-1 Very good 50 6
casting
Powder Most 0.01-5 0.8-3.2 0.002-0.005 0.8 Variable 5000 8
metallurgy

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 14

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 15
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 16
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 17
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 18
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 19
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 20
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 21
 Guidelines for designing weldments I

1. Welded structures should be designed to have sufficient

flexibility.
Structures that are too rigid do not allow shrinkage of the weld
metal and are subject to distortions and failure.
2. Accessibility of the joint for welding, welding position, and
component match up are important elements of the design.
3. Thin sections are easier to weld than thick ones.
4. Welded sections should be about the same thickness.
5. It is better to locate welded joints symmetrically around the axis
of an assembly in order to reduce distortion.

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 22

 Guidelines for designing weldments II

6. If possible, welded joints should be placed away from the

surfaces to be machined.
7. An inaccessible enclosure in a weldment, or the mating surfaces
of a lap joint, should be completely sealed to avoid corrosion.
8. Where strength requirements are not critical, short intermittent
welds are preferable to long continuous ones.
9. Help shrinkage forces to work in the desired direction by
presetting the welded parts out of position before welding so that
shrinkage forces will bring them into alignment.
10. Use weld fixtures and clamps to reduce distortion.

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 23

 Guidelines for designing weldments III

11. Whenever possible, meeting of several welds should be

avoided.
12. Balance shrinkage forces in a butt joint by welding
alternately on each side.
13. Remove shrinkage forces by heat treatment or by shot
peening.
14. Tolerances in the order of +1.5 mm (ca. +1/16 in) are
possible in welded joints.
Surfaces that need closer tolerances should be finished by
machining after welding and heat treatment.

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 24

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 25
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 26
Load carrying capacity of two fillet welds, P = 2 x 0.3 S x 0.707 t x L
Where: L = Length of weld
t = leg of weld, in this case same as plate thickness

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 27

 Advantages and limitations of using
adhesives I

The main advantages of adhesives include:

1. Thin sheets and parts of dissimilar thicknesses can be easily bonded.

2. Adhesive bonding is ideal for joining polymer matrix composites.
3. Dissimilar or incompatible materials can be bonded.
4. Adhesives are electrical insulators and can prevent galvanic action
in joints between dissimilar metals.
5. Flexible adhesives spread bonding stresses over wide areas and
accommodate differential thermal expansion.
6. Flexible adhesives can absorb shocks and vibrations, which
increases fatigue life.
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 28
 Advantages and limitations of using
adhesives II

7. Preparation of bonded joins requires no fastener holes which

gives better structural integrity and allows thinner gage materials
to be used.
8. Adhesives provide sealing action in addition to bonding.
9. The absence of screw heads, rivet heads, or weld beads in
adhesive bonded joints is advantageous where interruption of
fluid flow cannot be tolerated or where appearance is important.
10. Adhesive bonding can also be used in conjunction with other
mechanical fastening methods to improve strength of the joint.

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 29

 Advantages and limitations of using
adhesives III

The main limitations of adhesives include:

1. Bonded joints are weaker under cleavage and peel loading

than under tension or shear.
2. Most adhesives cannot be used at temperatures above 300oC.
3. Solvents and UV light can attack adhesive bonded joints.
4. The designer should also be aware of the adhesive's impact
resistance and creep, or cold flow, strength.

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 30

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 31
Table7.5 Machinability index of some common metallic materials

Material Hardness(BHN) Machinability index

Steels
AISI 1015 121 50
1020 131 65
1030 149 65
1040 170 60
1050 217 50
1112 120 100
1118 143 80
1340 248 65
3140 262 55
4130 197 65
4340 363 45
18-8 stainless steel 150-160 25
Cast irons
Gray cast iron: soft 160-193 80
medium 193-220 65
hard 220-240 50
Malleable iron 110-145 120
Nonferrous alloys
Aluminum alloys 35-150 300-2000
Bronze 55-210 150-500
Magnesium alloys 50-75 500-2000
Zinc alloys 80-90 200
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 32
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 33
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 34
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 35
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 36
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 37
Design example 7.3–Redesign of a part for easy machining I
Figure 7.17 shows the initial design of the shaft support bracket,
which is bolted to a housing to support a rotating shaft. Accurate
machining is needed for the bore with high tolerance in locating
the bore relative to the dowel holes.

Analysis
Initial design had the following features that are difficult to machine:
• Different diameters for the dowels and bolt holes, which requires
tool change and loss of time
• The bore and oil hole are long relative to their diameter, which
require long processing steps.
• The is no obvious features on the outer surface to fix the part and
prevent rotation during machining.
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 38
Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 39
Design example 7.3–Redesign of a part for easy machining II
Solution
For easy machining, the part was redesigned as shown in Fig. 7.18:
• The dowels and bolt holes have the same diameter.
• The center of the bore has a larger diameter than the ends to reduce
length to be machined.
• The length of the oil hole is reduced.
• Flat surfaces were cast on outer surfaces for ease of location while
machining.

Conclusion
These changes reduced the machining time from 173 to 119 seconds,
(33%). Quality is also better and higher tolerances are possible.

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 40

 Chapter 7: Summary I

• As the design progresses from concept to configuration and the

material choices get narrower, manufacturing processes, which
have initially been broadly defined, also need to be better
identified. The compatibility between materials and processes is
used to narrow down the available alternatives.
• DFMA seeks to minimize the cost by designing components that
are easier to manufacture (DFM) and designing components that
are easier to assemble (DFA).
• Casting is particularly suited for parts which contain internal
cavities that are inaccessible, too complex, or too large to be
easily produced by machining. Cast parts can contain shrinkage
cavities if not designed well.

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 41

 Chapter 7: Summary II
• Compression, transfer, and injection molding processes are
commonly used for molding plastic parts.
• Forged parts have wrought structures which are usually stronger
and more ductile than cast products. Rapid changes in thickness
of forged components could result in cracks and surface laps.
• Powder metallurgy techniques can be used to produce a large
number of small parts to the final shape with no machining, and
at high rates. Many metallic alloys, ceramic materials, and
composites can be processed by powder metallurgy techniques.
• Welding has replaced riveting in many applications including
steel structures, boilers, and motorcar chassis. Welded joints
represent areas of discontinuities and should be located away
from highly stressed regions.

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 42

 Chapter 7: Summary III

• Adhesives are an attractive method of joining and are increasingly

used for thin sheets, polymer composites, and dissimilar or
incompatible materials.
• Adhesives are electrically insulting, which can prevent galvanic
corrosion in joints between dissimilar metals. However, they are
relatively weaker and can be attacked by organic solvents.
• Many alloys can be heat treated to achieve certain desired
properties. Heat treatment can make the material hard and brittle
or it can make it soft and ductile.
• Machining operations are the most versatile and most common
manufacturing processes. Machining could be the only operation
involved in the manufacture of a component or it could be used as
a finishing process.

Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design: Mahmoud Farag 43