The goal of Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is to reduce manufacturing costs without reducing

quality or performance.

When implemented early in the design process DFM can help you prevent overlooking design
considerations that lead to costly components and production methods. DFM is an essential best
practice to look for when choosing a manufacturer to partner with. When done properly it will
optimize your overall design, project development, and manufacturing process.

Understanding and employing the key components and guiding principles of DFM will result in
the perfect balance between product quality, performance, and competitive manufacturing costs.

COMPONENTS OF DFM
While the components of DFM differ slightly across manufacturing methods, the following five
components of DFM work well for plastic injection molding. They are straightforward, industry
tested, and should be implemented for every product from the initial design phase.

Design – Why is a company culture and commitment to DFM so important? It’s important
because the majority of the final cost of a product is directly impacted and determined during the
design phase. Always ensure product design adheres to good manufacturing principles.

Review the Manufacturing Process – Designing with production in mind requires quality
communication between design, manufacturing, and other internal and external teams. This
communication helps ensure the manufacturing process is optimized, with any limitations and
specific criterion already factored in before product launch.

Environmental Considerations – These considerations must be taken into account to ensure

efficiency of design as it advances to production. Designing for environmental considerations
includes selecting materials and processes that reduce the environmental impact of the
manufacturing process as well as ensure your product properly withstands its operating
environment. In recent years, DFM environmental considerations have broadened to include
thinking about how products may be disassembled for recycling, reuse, or disposal as a means
for companies to support long-term sustainability.

Material Selection – Selecting materials based on specific performance criterion is essential to

DFM. Designs using standard components help to simplify manufacturing and reduce the need
for additional assembly operations training on new handling processes. In addition, using
standard components lends itself to streamlined inventories that can help keep the overall cost of
production low. Proper resin selection is also critical to producing a successful part. You need to
know the operating environment of your product and base your resin selection off of those
requirements. This is critical to ensure your materials meet your needs without unnecessarily
increasing cost due to over-spec’ing.

Compliance and Testing – Compliance standards and testing must be taken into account as part
of DFM. A continuous culture of improvement is critical to ensuring quality and performance is
never sacrificed for cost savings. Build compliance and testing into the overall design, development and
manufacturing process on day one.