Transcript for EO403 - What is DfX.PDF

Graduate Apprenticeship - Engineering Design and Manufacture Class: EO403 - Design for X What is DfX In this video, we're going to look at DFX. The term DFX stands for Design For X where the variable x can have one of many possible values depending on the particular design emphasis or objectives of...

Graduate Apprenticeship - Engineering Design and Manufacture Class: EO403 - Design for X What is DfX In this video, we're going to look at DFX. The term DFX stands for Design For X where the variable x can have one of many possible values depending on the particular design emphasis or objectives of the product development process. DFX's are a family of methods adopted to improve the development of a product for a determined objective-for example, safety, reliability, protection of the environment, and so on. Aspects which DFX address include things like cost, delivery, service, the environment, and quality, whether a product is fit for purpose, will it last, is it safe, and so on. DFX approaches are often supported by specific guidelines to help in the design development process. For example, a design for manufacture and assembly approach can involve the use of a set of guidelines which helps engineers to identify, measure, and reduce waste or even inefficiency, and therefore reduce costs. The need for design for x methods was identified by engineers because they became increasingly aware of a lack of appropriate, detailed knowledge in important product lifecycle processes. And the DFX's take place throughout the product development process-for example, in product through detailed design substitutes for DFM, design for the early stages, definition of the requirements for the concept generation and evaluation, through embodiment and to manufacturing and selling. Some of the most common x include design for assembly, DFA, design for manufacture, the environment, DFE, or design for cost. Design for assembly is a process by which products are designed with a particular emphasis on how the product is assembled and on the reduction of its parts. As a result, costs are reduced. Design for manufacture is a process of designing a product in order to make it easy to manufacture. It also helps to ensure products can actually be manufactured. Design for the environment as a general concept and/or approach to sustainable design. It aims to reduce the overall human, health, and environmental impact of a product, its process, or its service across the whole product's life cycle. And design for cost is an engineering-driven process. It requires designing both the product and the product delivery process for simplicity, and therefore a reduction in cost. When particular DFX approaches are taken, they often benefit factors or characteristics of the product development process. And generally speaking, taking a design for manufacture and assembly approach can produce a simpler product with fewer parts, and therefore less cost and often in a much shorter time. Why is DFX important? Taking a DFX approach tends to do a number of things in product development. It aims to optimise the product and the product Page 1/2 development process itself. It aims to improve quality not only of the product, but of its production. A DFX approach reduces risks-for example, by reducing the number of parts or the components in a product and/or production process. It also reduces cost. It brings particular issues that might occur in the development of new products out with the design process back into the design phase-for example, using a design for sustainability or a design for re-use approach very early on in the definition stage in terms of the selection of materials can have a very positive impact on the depletion of particular materials in our environment. DFX can also help shift downstream processes upstream to make the early stages of the design process as integrated as possible. And at this stage too, specialist or new knowledge can be brought into the design process to improve any issues. Page 2/2