Design for Excellence in Electronics Manufacturing

1Introduction to Design for Excellence

1.1 Design for Excellence (DfX) in Electronics Manufacturing

Design for Excellence (DfX) is based on the premise that getting product design right–the first time–is far less expensive than finding failure later in product development or at the customer. The book will specifically highlight how using the DfX concepts of Design for Reliability, Design for Manufacturability, Design for the Use Environment, and Design for Life‐Cycle Management will not only reduce research and development costs but will also decrease time to market and allow companies to issue warranty coverage confidently. Ultimately, Design for Excellence will increase customer satisfaction, market share, and long‐term profits. The Design for Excellence material is critical for engineers and managers who wish to learn best practices regarding product design. Practices need to be adjusted for different manufacturing processes, suppliers, use environments, and reliability expectations, and this DfX book will demonstrate how to do just that.

Design for Excellence is a methodology that involves various groups with knowledge of different parts of the product life‐cycle advising the design engineering functions during the design phase. It is also the process of assessing issues beyond the base functionality where base functionality is defined as meeting the business and customer expectations of function, cost, and size. Key elements of a DfX program include designing for reliability, ...