Wikipedia

DFMA

Design for manufacture and assembly (often abbreviated DFMA or DfMA) is a product‑development approach that combines design for manufacture (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) to simplify product structures, reduce manufacturing and assembly costs, and address production considerations early in design.[1] The methodology developed through academic and industrial research in the late 1970s and 1980s and was subsequently commercialized in software tools and training.[2][3] In 1991, Geoffrey Boothroyd and Peter Dewhurst received the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation for the concept, development, and commercialization of DFMA.[4] The term is also used in the architecture, engineering, and construction sectors, where DfMA emphasizes off‑site manufacture, standardization, and platform approaches.

History

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Early research into assembly‑friendly product design and quantitative evaluation methods focused on estimating manual and automatic assembly times and on reducing part counts to cut assembly effort.[5] In the early 1980s, Geoffrey Boothroyd and Peter Dewhurst introduced design‑for‑assembly methods and software; interest from large manufacturers helped spread industrial adoption and led to commercial offerings.[6] A design‑for‑manufacture module followed in the mid‑1980s, and the combined methodology—DFMA—was popularized through textbooks, training, and analysis tools.[7] In 1991, Boothroyd and Dewhurst were jointly awarded the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation recognizing their DFMA work and its industrial impact.[8]

Usage

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Engineering product design and manufacturing

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DFMA is used as the basis for concurrent engineering studies to provide guidance to the design team in simplifying the product structure, to reduce manufacturing and assembly costs, and to quantify improvements. The practice of applying DFMA is to identify, quantify and eliminate waste or inefficiency in a product design. DFMA is therefore a component of lean manufacturing. DFMA is also used as a benchmarking tool to study competitors' products, and as a 'should cost' tool to assist in supplier negotiations.[9]

DfMA in construction

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While modernist architect Le Corbusier advocated industrialisation of construction in 1923, proposing "A house is a machine to live in", DfMA as a concept in construction began to emerge in the 1990s, as construction industry critics applied cross-sectoral learning, looking at production theory, integration of design, manufacture and assembly, and lean concepts and tools.[10] In the early 21st century, DfMA began to be advocated by government and industry organisations[10] including, in the UK, the Royal Institute of British Architects (2016,[11] updated in 2021)[12] and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA, 2018),[13] in Singapore, the Building and Construction Authority (2016), and, in Hong Kong, the SAR Development Bureau (2018).[10]

UK government construction industry policy continued to advocate DfMA approaches; it was included in the 2019 Construction Sector Deal,[14] the Construction Playbook (2020, 2022),[15] and the IPA's 2021 TIP Roadmap to 2030,[16] and in 2018 the IPA and HM Treasury consulted about an expansion of the approach.[17] The 2022 Playbook and TIP Roadmap subsequently encouraged procurement of construction projects based on product 'platforms' ("Platform Design for Manufacture and Assembly, PDfMA") comprising kits of parts, production processes, knowledge, people and relationships required to deliver all or part of construction projects.[15][16]

The PDfMA approach has been applied to prison projects constructed by Kier Group for the Ministry of Justice,[18][19] and to delivery of a commercial office building for Landsec, The Forge in central London,[20] constructed by manufacturing and assembly managers Mace and Sir Robert McAlpine,[20] and designed by architects Bryden Wood,[21] long-time proponents of DfMA.[22]

Tools and software

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DFMA methods are implemented in analysis tools. One implementation is the DFMA software suite from Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc., which provides product simplification (DFA) and should‑cost modeling (DFM).[23] “DFMA” is also a registered trademark of Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc.[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Boothroyd, Geoffrey; Dewhurst, Peter; Knight, Winston A. (2010). Product Design for Manufacture and Assembly (3rd ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. doi:10.1201/9781420089288. ISBN 9781420089271.
  2. ^ Goldense, Bradford L. (7 January 2022). "A History of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly". Machine Design. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  3. ^ Ashley, Steven (March 1995). "Cutting costs and time with DFMA" (PDF). Mechanical Engineering. pp. 74–77. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  4. ^ "1991 Laureates – National Medal of Technology and Innovation". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  5. ^ Boothroyd, Geoffrey (July 1994). "Product design for manufacture and assembly". Computer-Aided Design. 26 (7): 505–520. doi:10.1016/0010-4485(94)90082-5.
  6. ^ Goldense, Bradford L. (7 January 2022). "A History of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly". Machine Design. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  7. ^ Ashley, Steven (March 1995). "Cutting costs and time with DFMA" (PDF). Mechanical Engineering. pp. 74–77. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  8. ^ "1991 Laureates – National Medal of Technology and Innovation". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  9. ^ Boothroyd, G., Dewhurst, P. and Knight, W., “Product Design for Manufacture and Assembly, 2nd Edition”, Marcel Dekker, New York, 2002.
  10. ^ a b c Lu, Weisheng & Tan, Tan & Xu, Jinying & Wang, Jing & Chen, Ke & Shang, Gao & Xue, Fan. (2020). "Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) in construction: the old and the new". Architectural Engineering and Design Management.
  11. ^ Royal Institute of British Architects (2016), DfMA Overlay to the Plan of Work. RIBA Publishing.
  12. ^ "RIBA publishes new Design for Manufacture and Assembly guidance (15 September 2021)". RIBA. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  13. ^ IPA (2018), Analysis of the National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline, IPA, p.39.
  14. ^ "HM Government Industrial Strategy: Construction Sector Deal" (PDF). UK Gov. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  15. ^ a b "The Construction Playbook: Government Guidance on sourcing and contracting public works projects and programmes" (PDF). UK Gov. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030". Infrastructure and Projects Authority. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Proposal for a New Approach to Building: Call for Evidence". UK.Gov. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  18. ^ "PDfMA Unlocks Continuous Improvement at HMP Millsike Project". Constructing Excellence. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  19. ^ Chevin, Denise (14 June 2024). "How Bryden Wood is evolving the platform approach". BIMplus. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  20. ^ a b Mann, Will (2 September 2022). "Landsec forges ahead with platform DfMA lessons". BIMplus. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  21. ^ "The Forge: The world's first P-DfMA commercial office building opens in London". Bryden Wood. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  22. ^ "Design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA)". Bryden Wood. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  23. ^ "DFMA Hits the Jackpot". Digital Engineering. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  24. ^ "DFMA (official site)". Retrieved 8 August 2024.
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