In manufacturing, during the product development process, the design, in particular, can be the key to a project’s success. The product not only needs to be functional but generally must also look good. This is where the expertise of a talented and experienced design engineer is relied upon to aid a product’s journey, which begins as a concept design, changes into a physical prototype, then makes its way onto the production line conveyor and eventually out of the factory.
New product development is happening all the time as manufacturers and innovators service customers’ developing needs and strive to keep up with other options and variations on the market launched by industry competitors. But it is the role of the design engineer to design a product or component that is both innovative and practical. Known as the Design for Manufacturing (DFM) concept and predominantly associated with mass-produced items, the main goal of a designer is to design a product or component that is more easily produced, and therefore the overall cost of manufacture is reduced. Thus, DFM can be said to force innovation through new solutions, alternative materials, or by reducing the number of components required, for example.
DFM can be regarded as more important than it has ever been, given that we are in the midst of a cost of living crisis. Rising costs are especially prevalent in the areas of raw materials and paying for the energy used to produce an item in order to get it on the conveyor again.
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