Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is an essential approach to ensure that parts are designed in a way that optimizes production efficiency and minimizes costs. Here are seven strategies to help reduce part costs from a DFM perspective:

1. Optimizing Hole End Angles

When working with lathe components like pistons, valves, or nozzles, ensuring the hole end angles match the tip angles of standard drills can save on production costs. Specifying angles that align with available ready-made drills eliminates the need for custom solutions and additional drilling processes, streamlining production and reducing expenses.

2. Ensuring Adequate Pilot Hole Length for Threading

For parts requiring internal threading, securing a sufficient pilot hole length is crucial. Short pilot holes necessitate special cutting tools to avoid breakage, increasing costs. By ensuring the pilot hole length exceeds the threading length, standard tools can be used, leading to significant cost reductions.

3. Allowing Drill Tip Shapes in Counterbores

Certain lathe products, such as pistons or pins, require flat counterbore end surfaces, which involve extra machining processes. Allowing the drill tip shape to remain at the center of the counterbore end face can eliminate the need for additional machining, thereby reducing production costs.

4. Switching from Radius to Chamfer on Corners

Lathe products often have corners requiring a radius shape, which demands frequent tool maintenance. Changing the corner shape from radius to chamfer allows for the use of standard tools, even when worn, reducing the need for maintenance and lowering management costs.

5. Ensuring Clearance for Threaded Parts

For threaded lathe parts, achieving the effective thread length without a clearance groove can be challenging. Adding a clearance groove allows for the desired thread length and simplifies the threading process. The groove should be at least 150% larger than the thread pitch length to be effective.

6. Enhancing Machinability of Stainless Steel with Copper

Stainless steel grades like SUS303 are commonly used for shafts, but their machinability can be improved by adding copper, transforming it into SUS303Cu. This enhancement improves surface roughness and prevents burr formation, leading to reduced production costs.

7. Optimizing Broaching Dimensions

A major issue in broaching lathe-turned parts is having shallow pilot holes, which cause chip accumulation and obstruct the broaching tool. Increasing the depth of pilot holes prevents chip pooling, ensuring the proper broaching length is achieved without obstructions, thus streamlining the broaching process.

By implementing these design for manufacturing strategies, you can significantly reduce part costs and improve production efficiency.

In today's fiercely competitive market, businesses are constantly seeking ways to optimize costs and improve profit margins. One common approach is to prioritize low-cost component manufacturing. While cost reduction is undeniably important, focusing solely on the price tag may not always be the best way to move forward. In this blog post, we will delve into the complexities of component manufacturing and explore why a balanced approach that emphasizes quality over low cost can lead to more sustainable and long-term success for businesses.

The Hidden Cost of Low-Quality Components:

Sourcing components at the lowest price may seem strategic, but it often comes with hidden costs. Low-quality components can lead to issues such as increased downtime, frequent breakdowns, and costly repairs or replacements. For Contract Manufacturers, these problems could even cause Production Line Down situations, which are costly affairs manufacturers want to avoid at all costs. These factors can significantly impact overall productivity and customer satisfaction, ultimately outweighing initial cost savings.

The Role of Reliability in Building Trust:

Industries where safety and reliability are paramount, like automotive, aerospace, or medical equipment, cannot overstate the value of quality components. Customers rely on products that perform consistently without fail. Investing in high-quality components builds trust with customers, enhancing a company's reputation, fostering long-lasting relationships, and encouraging repeat business. Recent Product Recalls across various industries could be partially attributed to component-level failures—often linked to extreme cost-cutting in component parts. While these costs might not be apparent during project budgeting, they significantly affect profitability.

Long-Term Cost Savings:

As mentioned earlier, low-cost components might offer immediate financial benefits, but investing in quality components leads to substantial long-term cost savings. Durable and reliable components reduce maintenance expenses, extend product lifespans, and decrease the need for frequent replacements. Enhanced product performance often translates into greater customer satisfaction and higher demand, positively impacting a company's bottom line. The correlation between procuring components of High Quality and Reliability is observable, as they both influence the product owner's reputation.

Innovation and Competitive Advantage:

Innovation drives the manufacturing industry. Investing in quality components empowers manufacturers to unlock new possibilities for product design and functionality. Components with unique features, higher precision, or improved materials can give businesses a competitive edge, setting them apart from competitors focused solely on low-cost options. Collaborating with a Component Manufacturing Partner goes beyond producing parts from drawings.

Finding a partner that considers Design for Manufacturing principles and collaborates with your designers can provide your product with a competitive advantage.

Environmental and Ethical Considerations:

The pursuit of low-cost manufacturing can lead to decisions compromising environmental sustainability and ethical practices. Quality components often prioritize eco-friendly materials and manufacturing processes, aligning with the growing demand for responsible and sustainable products. Amid geopolitical tensions, concerns arise about the origin of certain product materials, prompting the avoidance of conflict areas. Responsible Component Manufacturers provide proper documentation of input material origins, ensuring traceability for all components in the final product.

Conclusion:

While cost reduction is an essential aspect of component manufacturing, focusing solely on low cost can be short-sighted and counterproductive. Quality components play a pivotal role in ensuring the reliability, efficiency, and reputation of a product or business. By investing in superior components, manufacturers can experience long-term cost savings, foster customer trust, drive innovation, and gain a competitive edge in the market.

As the manufacturing landscape evolves, it is crucial for businesses to strike a balance between cost optimization and quality enhancement. By adopting a more holistic approach, manufacturers can position themselves for sustained growth, profitability, and success in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.

7 Ways to Keep Part Costs Down from a Design for Manufacturing Perspective