Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Lean Manufacturing

Touchstone Technology offers far more than simply manufacturing solutions. Whether it’s video processing circuitry, human machine interface devices, firmware design, or any other complex electronic hardware need, we welcome the challenge to engineer and innovate. Wherever possible, our engineers optimize the design of your products to facilitate a smoother, more cost-efficient manufacturing process.

Optimization in Electronics Design for a Streamlined Production Process

Design for manufacturability (DFM) is an important aspect of the product development process – especially for today’s American electronics manufacturers striving to remain competitive in a global marketplace. Through careful design considerations, we aim to optimize the design of a product to ensure efficient and cost-effective manufacturing while maintaining the desired functionality and quality.

Achieving a Leaner, More Reliable Supply Chain for Your Electronics

Touchstone’s engineers take all manufacturing process requirements into account from the earliest stages of the design process. By reducing the number of interconnects and fasteners, we can effectively minimize the cost and time it takes to assemble a product. We also include testing in our DFM methodology and include easily accessible test ports and firmware self tests to quickly ensure the product is completely functional.

The Advantages of Custom Electronics Design for Manufacturability:

• Collaboration between design and manufacturing teams: DFM involves close collaboration between the design engineers and manufacturing teams. Designers work closely with manufacturing experts to understand the manufacturing processes, capabilities, and constraints. This collaboration helps ensure that the design is optimized for efficient production.
• Design simplification: DFM emphasizes simplifying the design of computer peripherals to minimize the number of parts, assembly steps, and manufacturing complexities. Simplification improves efficiency, reduces manufacturing costs, and enhances product reliability. By reducing the number of components and simplifying assembly, manufacturers can save on material costs, reduce assembly time, and minimize the potential for errors.
• Design for automated assembly: American electronics manufacturing for computer peripherals often involves automated assembly processes. DFM considers the capabilities of automated assembly equipment and optimizes the product design for seamless integration into the automated assembly line. This includes designing components with features that facilitate robotic handling, standardized connectors, and clear labeling for easy identification during assembly.
• Material selection and standardization: DFM focuses on selecting materials that are readily available, cost-effective, and suitable for high-volume manufacturing. It also promotes standardization of components and materials to simplify sourcing, reduce inventory, and ensure consistent quality. By choosing commonly available materials and standardized components, manufacturers can streamline the supply chain and optimize the manufacturing process. One of the major advantages of partnering with Touchstone is our complete material sourcing capability designed to simplify our customers’ supply chains.
• Design for testability and quality control: DFM incorporates features that make computer peripherals easier to test and inspect during the manufacturing process. This includes designing test points, built-in self-test capabilities, and clear access for testing equipment. By considering testability during the design phase, manufacturers can improve the efficiency of quality control processes and reduce the likelihood of defective products reaching the market.
• Manufacturing process optimization: DFM considers the specific manufacturing processes involved in producing computer peripherals, such as injection molding, PCB assembly, surface mounting, and final assembly. Designers collaborate with manufacturing engineers to optimize the product design for these processes, ensuring compatibility with existing manufacturing equipment, reducing waste, and increasing production efficiency.

Design for cost-effective manufacturing: DFM aims to minimize manufacturing costs while maintaining product quality. Designers consider factors such as material waste reduction, efficient use of manufacturing resources, and process automation to achieve cost savings. By optimizing the design for cost-effective manufacturing, American electronics manufacturers can remain competitive in a global market.