Ron Garrett, instructor

What is Design for Assembly?

Simply put, it's an approach to designing products with ease of manufacture in mind.  By making things easier to assemble, one also makes the assembly process faster and more cost-efficient.  This results in higher profit to the manufacturer, and can also add value for the customer.

How does one design for ease of assembly?
by:

• Designing for a stable base
  • Minimizing reorientation of entire assembly
  • Making the insertion point easy to see and reach
  • Decreasing the need for specialized fixtures
• Z-axis insertion of parts
  • Decreasing ambiguity in part/subassembly orientation (rotational symmetry)
  • Making parts with self-locating features
• Minimizing part count and levels of assembly
  • Minimizing numbers and types of fasteners, cables, etc.
  • Encouraging modular, interchangeable assemblies
  • Building in self-fastening features
  • Minimizing the number of levels of assembly
• Using unique characteristics of the material
  • Built-in springs
  • Pressed or molded parts
  • Injection-molded buttons or signs
• Ergonomics
  • Facilitating parts handling and manipulation
  • Eliminating need for special tools