Design for Manufacturability
One of the most important issues facing manufacturers today is one that also doesn’t get as much discussion as it deserves: the concept of design for manufacturability. Using this approach, design teams examine things such as part tolerances with an eye toward making sure the product is both precisely designed and can be efficiently created.
Dave Smathers, general manager at L&S Machine Company, offers a terrific look at this concept in a new Machine Design article. He offers some real-world examples from the machining industry that points to the value of this approach.
“If the part has features that require a custom tool to meet functional requirements, we can make just about anything you want to put on the drawing,” Smathers notes. “But it’s worth investigating early in the design process, whether there are features whose dimensions can be eased to match standard tools without interfering with the functionality of the part.” The need for design and manufacturing teams to collaborate from the start of any project is an expenditure of time, but it’s a small price to pay to avoid problems down the line. “Some part features may be difficult or even impossible to machine as designed, which impacts cost, quality and yield problems,” Smathers writes.
IDEA! Awards Entry Deadline is Tomorrow
There is just one day left to enter the 2021 IDEA! Awards. Click here for a link to the entry form.
The IDEA! Awards is a way to showcase the tremendous work your design and marketing teams have accomplished in the last 12 months. The August issues of Machine Design and Hydraulics & Pneumatics will present all the entered products for evaluation by our readers in print and online. You’ll also receive marketing collateral recognizing your product as a 2021 IDEA! Awards Finalist as part of your $500 entry fee.
The products with the highest vote totals will be recognized at the 2021 IDEA! Awards luncheon at the 2021 IDEA! Conference in Cleveland. The conference on Nov. 9-11 will be three days of great information and an opportunity to reconnect after more than a year apart.
