Design for Manufacturability using SolidWorks Tools

Design & Manufacturing Process Overview

The design stage is considered the most crucial component in the product lifecycle
process - the platform for the conception and development of new products.
Approximately 80 percent or more of the lifecycle costs of a product are determined
during the design stage. Companies are constantly fight the battle and pay the price
of miscommunication between design and manufacturing departments. Finding
errors and fixing defects during the design stage is the optimal way to achieve high
quality and cost-effective products.

Iterative Design Process

In the iterative approach to the design process, the designer needs to receive early
feedback from the manufacturing department to address any manufacturability
concerns before the design is frozen. This methodology is ideal however it is
generally only feasible in an environment where the manufacturing & design
departments are co-located. With the “Design anywhere - Make anywhere” practice
common throughout the world today, implementing iterative design is even more of
a challenge. In addition, because the iterative process involves manual reviews and
can be very time consuming, it is very difficult to catch and fix every concern in
complex part models.

Design for Manufacturability

Design for manufacturability (DFM) is a systematic approach for designers that
provides upstream manufacturability validation and identification of arear of a design
that is difficult, expensive, or impossible to machine by conventional methods.

SolidWorks DFMXpress: What is it?

DFMXpress combines practical process functionality with accuracy and ease of use. It
is perfect for the designer who needs to do manufacturability analysis but is not
necessarily a manufacturing expert and also permits designers to easily gain insight
into the cost-effective manufacturability of their designs by doing things properly the
first time.

Drill Rules

▪ Hole Depth to Diameter Ratio                                                 
▪ Hole Entry and Exit Surfaces
▪ Hole Intersecting Cavities
▪ Minimum % of Hole Area Inside Part

Mill Rules

▪ Fillets on Outside Edges
▪ Sharp Internal Corners
▪ Inaccessible Features
▪ Mill Tool Depth to Diameter Ratio

Turn Rules

▪ Minimum Corner Radius
▪ Minimum % Bore Relief

Sheet Metal

▪ Hole-Diameter-to-Thickness Ratio
▪ Simple Hole Spacing to Thickness Ratio
▪ Recommended Bend Radius

Injection Molding

▪ Minimum Wall Thickness – Maximum Wall
Thickness

Standard Hole Sizes 

▪ Standard Hole Sizes – Non-Standard Hole Sizes

Mold & Cast Part Check Tools:

 

Draft check

Undercut check

                                                                          

▪ You can use Undercut Analysis to find trapped areas in a model that cannot be
ejected from the mold.
▪ Set analysis parameters and color settings to identify and visualize areas with
insufficient draft on molded parts.

Thickness Analysis:

Thickness Analysis is used to identify the various thicknesses at each point on the
model, which helps to identify problematic areas that might be too thin or too thin in
any specific regions. This will be helpful when using thin-walled plastic parts.
Use Thickness Analysis to:
▪ Find out thick and thin regions of a part
▪ Determine portions of a part that are equal in thickness

Other DFM Tools Available in SOLIDWORKS for Part:

Geometry Analysis:

Geometry Analysis identifies model entities in a part that could create a problem in
other applications. These applications include finite element modelling or computer￾aided machining.
Geometry Analysis identifies the following entities:
▪ Sliver faces
▪ Small faces
▪ Short edges
▪ Knife (sharp) edges and vertices
▪ Discontinuous edges and faces
The results can be graphically analyzed with the Geometry Analysis Property
Manager that appears after the analysis is complete.

Other DFM Tools Available in SOLIDWORKS for Assembly:

Interference Detection:

One of the key evaluation tools in an assembly is Interference Detection. This shows
any possible interference between selected components so that we can modify the
parts and prevent issues in manufacturing.

Clearance Verification:

When working in an assembly that requires specific clearances, you can estimate and
verify the gap between selected components using the SOLIDWORKS Clearance
Verification Tool

Hole Alignment:

Ensuring hole alignment between various components in your assembly designs, prior
release to manufacturing, it reduce the product development process and make your
design ready for manufacturing in the first time.

Benefits of Design for Manufacturability Tools in SolidWorks:

• DFM tools help Engineers and Designers design less costly and better quality
products, faster
• Helps catch and fix problems related to manufacturability early in the design,
where it is much cheaper and faster to implement corrective action
• DFM tools dramatically improve communication between design and
manufacturing
• DFM Tools help capture design and manufacturing best practices and allow both
designers and manufacturers to become better at their jobs.

Conclusion:

Design flaws are often “easy to identify” but “difficult to solve” during 

downstream stages like manufacturing via simple rules-based checks, DFM allows
designers to optimize the entire design through manufacturing process by predicting
manufacturing issues during the design stage. In addition to saving countless back
and forth design review steps, DFM assists in creating a product design that is
compatible with the desired manufacturing process, in accordance with desired quality
standards, and cost-effective to manufacture.
Stay safe and productive everyone!

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