DFSS: Design for X (DFX)

Question 1

DFX

Answer 1

Design for X (DFX)
Also known as Design for Excellence.

DFX captures the knowledge of experts to create a guide for designers create the actual product design.

Successfully captures the finite details to the design process in order to avoid manufacture design and production problems down the road.

Question 2

DFX Typical Considerations

Answer 2

• cost
• quality
• reliability
• recyclability

Design for Excellence (aka Design for X, DFX) is a systematic approach to achieve a targeted objective. X represents targeted objectives or characteristics of product or process. DFX comes under the topic of DFSS which requires a cross-functional team approach with the involvement of stakeholders.

Question 3

Types of Design for X (DFX)

Answer 3

1. Design for Manufacturing/Assembly (DFM & DFMA)
2. Design for Cost and Design to Cost (DTC)
3. Design for Testing/Testability (DFT)
4. Design for Maintainability (DFM)
5. Design for Robustness
6. Design for Supply Chain (DFSC)
7. Design for Safety

Question 4

Design for Manufacturing/Assembly (DFM & DFMA)

Answer 4

Type of DFX

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) deals with steps for improving manufacturing process to make a good product with reduced manufacturing cost. Product design can be optimized to achieve this goal.

Potential DFM factors:

materials
tooling
environment
testing
tolerances

Question 5

Design for Cost and Design to Cost (DTC)

Answer 5

Type of DFX

Low cost cannot be managed into a product; it must be engineered into a product. This can be challenging when a company has a fixed design cost yet still has to meet customer expectations.

Design for cost and DTC consist of several life cycle cost controlling techniques. Designing for cost works on engineering principles but DTC is more related to management requirements.

DTC uses value analysis (aka Design to Value) to quantify the value that can be delivered to the customer. Redesign and reworking costs should be considered.

Question 6

Design for Testing/Testability (DFT)

Answer 6

Type of DFX

Testing is a major part in in the DFX process to ensure that products have predetermined quality standards demanded by the customers.

In this stage the team has to design steps that required for validating the product to ensure that it doesn’t have any defects and it is properly functioning.

Question 7

Design for Maintainability (DFM)

Answer 7

Type of DFX

Maintainability is how easily a product can be maintained. Here, the design team give attention to reducing maintenance costs. -Eg preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance

Question 8

Design for Robustness

Answer 8

Type of DFX

Robustness is the ability of the system to reduce variations while delivering defined outputs. Chief considerations here are structural and environmental.

Question 9

Design for Supply Chain (DFSC)

Answer 9

Type of DFX

Target here is to design a system with high supply chain efficiency, less inventory cost and less or zero waste. Error detection should be considered in the design step.

Question 10

Design for Safety

Answer 10

This is one of the important design aspects which every team has to be focused on. Not only do strict safety regulations and requirements mandate safety standards, employee engagement demands it.

DFS helps to bring illness & injuries to a minimum while maintaining productivity. Common techniques could be as simple as adequate usage of personal protective equipment (PPE).