Streamlining PCB Production with DFM at PICA Manufacturing Solutions
Design for Manufacturability (DFM) is a proactive process integral to the PICA Way, ensuring a product design aligns with each step of the manufacturing process from the outset. This methodology is crucial in avoiding revisions due to manufacturing issues. At PICA Manufacturing Solutions, our DFM process focuses on reducing development time and delivering cost-competitive products by providing continual design feedback to our customers from the initial design review and throughout the development process.
DFM Process Overview
The DFM process at PICA is strategically distributed across the development cycle and consists of several steps, each tailored to enhance product functionality and reliability, cost efficiency, development speed, and quality:
1. Initial Product Design and Development
• Objective: Integrate DFM early in the product design and development process to effectively tailor designs to customer needs.
• Customer Interaction: The design team provides initial concepts, sketches, or designs which are then specified and critiqued based on manufacturing criteria.
• PICA’s Role: Upon receiving the initial request, our team, including business managers and engineers, reviews all customer-provided data to suggest optimal layouts or component selections and potentially create new CAD/Gerber files.
• Outcome: Customers fund the modifications in design files, ensuring their active involvement and revision based on the DFM submitted.
2. Quote Process Integration
• Objective: Implement DFM during the quote process to optimize cost savings, reduce lead times, and enhance productivity and yield.
• Actions: After receiving optimized engineering files and requirements, a Request for Quotation (RFQ) is sent out.
• PICA’s Role: Our engineering team meets with customers to review the data and provide cost-saving feedback such as material selection and layout arrangements for improved manufacturability.
• Feedback Loop: Quality reviews identify potential quality concerns, ensuring that unmodifiable or out-of-capability designs do not proceed.
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3. First Article DFM
• Objective: Engage in detailed DFM after receiving an order to ensure the manufacturability of the First Article samples.
• Process: Engineering files are reviewed and approved before forwarding them to the manufacturer.
• PICA’s Role: Our team verifies the integrity of DFM adjustments in line with the manufacturer’s specifications and communicates necessary optimizations back to the customer for final approval.
• Quality Assurance: Continuous feedback on quality concerns is provided, with the customer funding the DFM and approving the sample prior to production.
4. Production Implementation with ECR and EQ Process
• Objective: Implement final DFM strategies after the First Article report submission, following the ECR (Engineering Change Request) and EQ (Engineering Questions) process for any needed design change enhancements, ensuring a smooth transition into full production.
• PICA’s Role: Upon receiving customer feedback and the production order, and with the design now frozen, our team employs the ECR and EQ process to make any necessary design enhancements. This ensures that the design meets both our and the customer’s specifications before moving forward with full-scale manufacturing.
• Final Adjustments: Any changes to the design undergo rigorous evaluation and require customer approval, ensuring all specifications are met efficiently and effectively
DFM is a cornerstone of our frictionless process at PICA, assisting customers from the design phase through the development and transition to mass production of innovative products. It underscores our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. By integrating DFM throughout our processes, we ensure that designs are not only feasible but also optimized for manufacturing, reflecting a partnership approach in every project. Our goal is always to achieve the highest quality and efficiency, reducing development time, minimizing costs, and lead times for our clients.
For further information on how PICA can assist in optimizing your product designs through our DFM process, please contact us.
