Quoted from AdvancedManufacturing.org: <\/P><\/p>\n
PMI is not a new concept. The idea is decades old and the enabling standards were developed at least 10 years ago. \u201cWhat we are seeing now in our customer base is a real transition\u2014mass adoption as people are moving to [PMI] and using a model with PMI attached across the enterprise,\u201d he said, moving away from what he termed as drawing-centric workflows.<\/EM><\/P><\/p>\n Why is this important for the implementation of DFMA? It provides not only a communication tool from the designer to the manufacturing process, but also allows employing other tools just as important for understanding manufacturability.<\/EM><\/P><\/p>\n \u201cFor example, we have Monte Carlo-based techniques for setting tolerances\u2014they can simulate thousands of variations in assembly configurations and tell you which ones will fail, where tolerances are actually too tight and how to relax them to make a cost-effective process,\u201d he said. With PMI attached to CAD, not only can manufacturing processes like machining and fabrication be programmed, so can inspection programs and a host of other manufacturing-related processes. Other simulation tools that have come into their own are discrete event simulations, such as Tecnomatix Plant Simulation offered by Siemens.<\/EM><\/P><\/p>\n \u201cApproaching the problem from this perspective might not always impact design, but it could change the manufacturing process or system,\u201d he said. By exploring options through a manufacturing simulation, fixturing could be adjusted or operations performed in a different sequence to get the lowest cost system rather than simply the lowest cost design. \u201cCombining DFM tools with other simulation allows all <\/EM>those checks before you ever go into production,\u201d he said.<\/EM><\/P><\/p>\n CIMData comments about the importance of DFM in additive manufacturing:<\/P><\/p>\n So, almost 30 years after these concepts were introduced, what has been the general acceptance in industry? \u201cI am still not seeing the level of acceptance I would expect for as long as it has been around,\u201d said John MacKrell, chairman of CIMdata<\/A> (Ann Arbor, MI). There are a few places where it is well received, such as automotive and aerospace, where either the volume or complexity of the manufacturing process makes it paramount to consider DFM in the engineering process.<\/EM><\/P><\/p>\n \u201cIn other companies, I get mixed feelings about it; [acceptance] often depends on the engineer rather than DFM being supported] by a company process,\u201d he said. Obviously, there is room for education. One area where DFM will be vital is additive manufacturing, MacKrell asserted. \u201cWhile the basic principles of DFMA have not changed that much, additive requires both designing the part for the manufacturing process, and additive manufacturing enables things like reducing part count,\u201d he said.<\/EM><\/P><\/p>\n You can read the complete article online at AdvancedManufacturing.org<\/P>
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