Assembly Manufacturing: Advantages of DFM

“Do you perform DFM on my design?” “Do you offer DFM services?” We all know things can go wrong during the manufacturing process, but may not understand the significance of the role DFM plays in the process.

What is DFM?

DFM (Design for Manufacturing) is a highly-recommended two-part process to help catch and prevent mistakes that can threaten product manufacturing and product performance.

Part One: Pre-Manufacturing

Pre-manufacturing DFM can be performed at the receipt of data from the customer before manufacturing- but is usually done at the quoting stage or after receipt of the purchase order.Green Circuits performs a full analysis of customer-provided data, including DRC (Design Rule Check) on the Gerber data.  After the Pre-Manufacturing DFM is complete, customers receive a list of all software-detected violations and/or discrepancies which can either suggest improvements to the yield and/or performance of the product or prevent Green Circuits from manufacturing the product. Software-detected Discrepancies include:

• Checking for incorrect footprints
• Component spacing
• Overlapping components
• Components too close to the board edge
• BOM (Bill of Material) mismatch against board design
• Checking for pad geometry (pin to pad)
• Solder paste file (correct apertures)
• Full DRC of Gerber data for manufacturability
• Correct PCB fabrication and assembly drawing

Part Two: Post-Manufacturing

Post-manufacturing DFM is a follow-up report generated after the PCB assembly process is completed.  While pre-manufacturing DFM catches many discrepancies, some can’t be caught until the product is built.  For example, a component body size that is bigger than the footprint in the data sheet is not easily detected until the part is in hand.  In addition to issues not related to data, like negative effects on parts from necessary manufacturing processes and testing, like cleaning and sensitivity to heat. Green Circuits provides a post-manufacturing DFM, enabling the customer to update their design with assistance from Green Circuits engineers.

Remember: DFM takes a few days to complete, but the advantages (saved time, increased yield, and avoided costs/time associated with rework) always outweigh the cost and time it takes to perform it. Especially, when it comes to the production of new design builds and high-volume productions.

For additional information about DFM, other Green Circuits services or to begin your upcoming project, contact Green Circuits today.