Design for Manufacture and Project Management

Design for Manufacture and Project Management

Design for Manufacture

  • Design for Manufacture is about designing products in such a way that they are easy to make.

  • Batch production: involves creating specific quantities of a product. The quantity can be adjusted based on demand.

  • Continuous production: is when a product is constantly being made. This type of production is usually automated and used for popular products with constant high demand.

  • One-off production: is when a single, unique product is created. This is common with bespoke or customised products.

Project Management

  • Gantt Charts are used to plan how long different parts of a project will take, helping to organise the project and ensuring all tasks are accounted for.

  • Critical Path Analysis (CPA) is a more detailed method for project management. It shows the order in which tasks need to be completed and identifies the fastest route through these tasks.

  • Contingency planning allows for potential issues or delays, ensuring that there is a back-up plan in place for these scenarios.

  • Risk assessment involves identifying potential hazards and working to minimise the risk associated with these hazards.

Design for Sustainability

  • Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) assesses the environmental impact of a product from cradle to grave.

  • End of Life planning considers what will happen to the product when it is no longer needed or cannot function anymore.

  • Sustainable materials are materials that are renewable, recyclable, or have a low environmental impact. Designing for sustainability involves considering these materials for your product.

  • Ethical manufacturing considers the working conditions of those producing the product.

Quality Assurance and Control

  • Quality assurance is an in-house process used by companies to ensure that their product meets the desired quality.

  • Quality control is a process used to check the quality of a product, usually carried out by an external company or individual.

  • ISO standards are internationally agreed standards that cover a variety of aspects in manufacturing and product development. They are used to guarantee product safety, quality, and efficiency.

  • Six Sigma is a method used in manufacturing to improve the quality of output by identifying and removing the causes of errors.