Design for X (DFX) Methods

Albert Einstein once said, “The best design is the simplest one that works.” But a simple design can be difficult and time-consuming to create.

However, putting too little work into engineering a new product can easily backfire in the latter stages of a project. It is more efficient in terms of overall time and money spent to take the time to consider the different aspects of a project before it leaves the drawing-room.

This is where design for excellence (aka design for X and DFX) comes in. The term “design for X” first made an appearance at the Keys Conference in 1990 and in theAT&T Technological journal. The papers even suggest that the two authors were not aware of each other, showing that the movement towards the same goal had started independently.

The DFX ideology helps build amazing products without the need for modifications in later stages, as its different areas take many of the most crucial aspects into consideration already in the design phase.

What is Design for X?

Design for excellence is an ever-evolving philosophy of a set of principles in design and manufacturing. It adopts a holistic and systematic approach to design, focusing on all aspects of a product – fromconcept generation最终的交付。

It provides good practices and design guidelines to ensure we get the design and manufacturing methods right the first time. All this is done before the product even reaches the shop floor.

传统工程设计与X的设计

将X（DFX）的设计视为一种全新的研究工程设计的方式。X的设计与传统的做事方式之间有许多相似之处。但是差异也是如此明显。

有一个好主意如何设计X可以做o much more than good old engineering design practices will help us understand why more and more companies are taking the leap to design for X.

Conventional Product Development Process

Traditional engineering design follows a sequence from research to testing/improvement of design. A general sequence of engineering design is as follows:

• 通过观察，调查，实验或两者组合确定问题。
• Research the problem in detail to gather as much relevant information as possible.
• Brainstorm possible solutions. Here we make an optimum selection after evaluating the pros and cons of each solution.
• 创建设计并进行必要的计算。
• Create a prototype.
• Carry out testing on various fronts to ensure the prototype can solve the original problem.
• Improve the product as needed before mass production.

This kind of linear approach can be problematic and costly in many cases, preventing us from achieving the full potential of engineering design.

DFX Process characteristics

The design for X process comes with certain characteristics that make it a better alternative to its traditional counterparts.

Early correction of defects

在设计阶段之后，通常会确定和纠正传统工程设计过程中的问题。在许多情况下，纠正这些问题可能非常昂贵。

DFX将这些问题的解决方案转移到了早期的设计阶段，从而节省了金钱和时间。

Smaller number of product iterations

很少第一次看到设计的产品完美工作。需要多次迭代才能完善设计。但是，创建这些迭代是昂贵的，尤其是对于需要定制模具进行注射成型的塑料产品。

DFX strives to reduce the number of product iterations and try to get the design right the first time. This can be done by creating various virtual designs and carrying simulations instead of physical tests.

In cases where a physical iteration is needed, technologies such asrapid prototypingandgenerative designmay be preferred. For example, instead of using injection moulding, additive manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing can be used to create iterations within a few hours at a low cost.

Requires fewer tools

Traditional engineering design requires the use of many tools. DFX reduces the number of tools needed for design by limiting it to a standard set for increased efficiency. This is one of the areas DFM (design for manufacturing) touches upon.

Broader scope of design

如前所述，DFX的范围比常规工程设计更广泛，更具包容性。通过利用各个领域内的设计原理（例如DFM和DFA），DFX方法论可以在降低产品成本的同时提高价值。

包容性设计团队

As DFX considers many aspects of product development, the design team’s role is much bigger than one in traditional engineering design. DFX encourages greater collaboration between designers, suppliers, and manufacturers.

较短的市场时间

By increasing communication and reducing rework cost, DFX considerably reduces the time to market for any product.

Some other salient characteristics of DFX that are quite self-explanatory are as follows:

• Reduced total product development cost
• Diminished product risk
• 提高运营效率
• Increased production yield
• Higher customer satisfaction

DFX的类型

Design for excellence is an all-encompassing philosophy that provides design guidelines for all aspects of a design and production process.

代表卓越的“ X”可以用几个字母代替，以解决DFX的某些子部分。这些类别包括制造（DFM），组装（DFA），质量（DFQ），供应链（DFSC），等等。

Designers improve a product’s design in all these areas by implementing certain design principles in the process. The aim is to create a product that excels in these areas by making changes in the proposed design.

Design for X (DFX) has many such focus areas for design improvement. Some of them such as DFM, DFA, and DFMA are more popular than others.

接下来，我们将介绍其中一些重点领域，以便在产品开发的不同方面对X概念的设计有更好的总体了解。

Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

制造的设计是指在产品开发的制造方面带来便利的设计。在设计的每个阶段，评估产品的易用性。

它是X类最常见和有用的设计之一，因为它提供了帮助我们以较低成本创建更好的产品的技术。设计师使用它们来增强零件，组件和完整产品的设计。

For example, ametal product can be made using various fabrication processes. DFM enables designers to choose the right manufacturing and surface treatment methods for the best quality at the lowest prices. Part design then follows the chosen method to secure manufacturability.

Following the initial choice comes cost analysis. If the cost is still high, the above steps are repeated until reaching an optimal solution.

Design for Assembly (DFA)

在设计for assembly, designers implement qualities in a product that make it easy to assemble. Fewer, simpler components that can be easily assembled by simple operations are encouraged to eliminate the possibility of mistakes.

It also provides other advantages such as low maintainability due to fewer parts requiring testing and maintenance. The one question that is repeatedly asked of a design in DFA is “Does a part/component need to be separate from the entire product?”

Possible reasons for needing a part to be separate from the product body are:

• Functionality demands relative motion between part and product body.
• The part is made of a different material for functional/aesthetic reasons.
• The part may need to be disassembled for repair, maintenance, or access to other parts.

In the absence of the above reasons, the part must be combined with another part or with the product body to reduce the part count in the final assembly.

制造和组装的设计（DFMA）

DFMA is a step ahead of both DFM and DFA. DFM focuses on the fabrication of a product/component, whereas DFA focuses on the product architecture.

DFMA combines both of these disciplines to deliver simpler, more efficient products that are easier to manufacture and assemble. Additional benefits include lower costs, increased reliability, and a shorter time to market. The DFMA design process creates about 40% time savings when compared to a conventional design process.

DFMA can also use the benefits ofconcurrent engineering. Design and manufacturing teams get together to design a better product than what each of them would have come up with were they to work alone.

Whereas DFM could opt for a combination of万搏app全民彩票平台and bending, DFA principles could preferCNC machining servicesto produce more intricate but fewer parts, with less emphasis on the production costs.

DFMA brings the two methods together to create a more holistic view of the product development process while keeping different aspects in mind.

Design for Reliability (DFR)

IEEEdefines the reliability of a part as “The ability of a component or system to perform its required functions under stated conditions for a specified period of time.” The aim of DFR is to build reliability into a product.

This must be done from the earliest stages of the design phase and evaluated at every stage after that. Integration into the entire product development process is a requirement to achieve the best results.

Designers must note that there are no industry standards available to measure reliability, as it varies from part to part. Equally important to knowing reliability testing methods is to know how to accommodate reliability into a product.

In DFR, designers search for sources of part/product failure and work to eliminate this risk. Where elimination is not possible, they try to delay the failure to a timing equal to or greater than the product lifecycle. Many techniques such asFMEAandFTAhelp to test and design reliable products.

There are many other tools also available at a reliability engineer’s disposal. It is not necessary to use all the tools for every part but only ones that apply for a certain use case.

Reliability is inversely proportional to the cost of a product. In the quest to increase reliability, product costs can sometimes go well over budget. Thus, there is a need to reach a middle ground to balance both attributes of a product.

Design for Quality (DFQ)

The quality of a product is an attribute that has a direct impact on the product’s sales. The overall quality of a product is a measure of 8 different properties:

• Performance
• 特征
• Reliability
• Conformance
• Durability
• Serviceability
• Aesthetics
• 感知的质量

To deliver a good quality product, quality checks must be built into the production system from the very beginning. This reduces quality issues before the product goes into production. Depending on only the final inspections to weed out bad quality products is usually not enough.

A good quality plan is essential to make this happen. It ensures that customers receive the best products without burdening the finances of a company too hard.

Design for Supply Chain (DFSC)

For a long time, the supply chain for a product was always an afterthought. Only after the product design and manufacturing processes were in place, the logistics systems were given a serious thought.

Logistics involves aspects such as packaging/transportation, parallel processing, and modularisation (standardisation) of parts.

DFSC proposes that the supply chain for the product be designed when the product itself is in its initial design phase. This helps us minimise supply chain costs, need for inventory, lead time and waste.

Design for Testing (DFT)

测试是指在产品或其原型的全部或代表性样本上进行的质量检查。这是为了确保它们符合设计师设定的预定标准和标准。

However, it is not easy to test all products. In many cases, testing consumes a good portion of the project budget, especially if testing methods are put in place after the design and manufacturing aspects have been finalised.

Design for testing refers to building testing methods into the product during the design stage to make it easy and economical to test the various product attributes and functions. The aim is to detect any crucial defects or issues with minimum intervention in the assembly line or during the packaging phase.

设计维护

这种方法着重于使产品更容易维护。必须在设计中考虑预防性和分解维护。

Many products can be made easy to maintain by approaching the design process with a few points in mind that improve the maintainability of all products. A way to do this is by building in systems that show the real-time condition of a product. For example, a sight glass to show the oil level of a compressor. The sight glass allows for an engineer to check the oil level regularly and prevent any major breakdown.

Even when a major breakdown occurs, following design for maintenance gives easy access to the parts that could be the most probable culprits. For example, you can easily change spark plugs and the like in cars while accessing motor belts requires considerably more work. Having it vice versa would not make sense as changing plugs is a job that needs to be done with much higher frequency.

Another important feature that improves maintainability is developing a modular product. The ability to order and replace just the failed parts is an attractive feature for any product.

Designers must avoid designs that compel the user to renew large parts when small parts are at fault. For example, in a split AC, if the room temperature sensor is at fault, the design must allow for a quick replacement instead of having to change the PCB along with the sensor.

Design to Cost (DTC)

成本和设计成本（DTC）的设计是一组DFX成本管理技术，可控制产品开发和制造成本。设计意图是创建产品，将成本作为设计参数，除了时间表，范围和功能外。

Generally, product design is responsible for 75% of the cost. Many hidden costs can emerge at a later point in product development such as the cost of redesign, rebuild, time to market delay, retesting, etc. Characteristics such as a simple design, easy assembly, manufacturability, efficient supply chain, reliability, etc. have a direct impact on the product cost.

通过考虑产品的总体成本和工程的总成本从设计的初始阶段降低到产品中，可以防止不必要的成本。

Design for Sustainability (DFS)

与环境问题每年都在增长the 21st century, many companies desire for their products to have as small an impact on the environment as possible. This is further motivated by many governments now offering subsidies for green products and consumers actively seeking eco-friendly products.

The focus in DFS is on reducing the carbon footprint of the product by using recyclable materials and green manufacturing ideas for the product as well as its packaging.

DFS是一个广泛的主题，其中包括许多设计规则，应该对自己的特殊讨论进行特别讨论。除了组织外，DFS还扩展到有助于创建和维护产品的所有供应商和制造商。

Design for Product Life Cycle (DFPLC)

A product life cycle refers to the entire life of a product from its introduction to its eventual withdrawal from the market. Design for product lifecycle focuses on increasing the profitability over the entire lifecycle of the product. It proposes methodologies, techniques and processes to make the product easier, cheaper and safer to manufacture, distribute, maintain, use and even dispose of.

Design for product life cycle takes into account potential changes that could be implemented into the product design in the future, cost savings, technology upgrades and infrastructure improvements. The suggested techniques make it easier to implement these changes for a smoother transition with minimal impact to the supply chain.

这通常是通过预测可能发生的变化并在产品设计中制定规定以适应这些变化来完成的。这也设定了允许完成此过渡的时间的限制，因为扩展的过渡可能非常昂贵。

Conclusion

截至目前，行业专家已经就48种不同的DFX方法撰写了广泛的论文。但是DFX的清单实际上是无限的。DFX方法可以围绕对产品和组织重要的任何功能进行设计。

At higher levels, organisations may level up to introduce六西格玛设计(dfs). DfSS contains many design considerations and design guidelines to significantly improve the way an organisation creates products.

The enviable benefits of DFX are realised over the life cycle of the product. Some of these benefits are a simple yet effective design, shorter time to market and a cost-effective product.

其他好处可能并不总是立即引起的，但是它们有可能引入产品的长期成功。它们可以极大地影响组织的竞争力和市场增长。