Both Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Testing (DFT) are methodologies adopted by companies within the manufacturing industry, including electronics manufacturing, aiming to optimise different aspects of a product. DFM focuses on the ease and cost-efficiency of manufacturing, whereas DFT facilitates efficient testing. Both design approaches incorporate reports that bear certain similarities and significant differences. Read this article to learn more about them.
Design for Manufacturing vs. Design for Testing: Similarities and Differences
To understand the differences between Design for Manufacturing and Design for Testing reports, it is helpful to first compare these two concepts.
Both methodologies should ideally be integrated in the early stages of the product development process to achieve optimal product configuration, as most optimisation changes are difficult to implement during the production or testing phases. However, incorporating DFT in the later design stages may still be acceptable.
For DFM, the primary goal is to achieve the desired quality with minimum manufacturing costs. In other words, DFM seeks a design that facilitates production and makes the manufacturing process more cost-effective. DFT works similarly, but its focus is on the ease of testing.
Naturally, this causes the impact areas of DFM and DFT to differ. DFM influences the overall design, supply chain, manufacturing technologies, and production workflow. Meanwhile, DFT focuses on fault diagnosis processes, quality assurance protocols, and quality control planning. Depending on the product’s needs, DFT can also affect test equipment design. However, despite these differences, both reports are utilised by contract electronics manufacturers like Assel, who provide comprehensive production and testing services.
Design for Manufacturing report
To provide stakeholders with the necessary information on design for manufacturing, the methodology requires producing a comprehensive report that includes information on potential manufacturing issues and suggestions for design optimisation that should be implemented for more cost-effective production.
Some of the key components of the DFM report include a detailed overview of the product, including its features, functions, and technical specifications, as well as the objectives of the DFM analysis. Other essential parts of the report are:
- Information on material selection, including current materials used in the design and suggestions for improvement;
- Results of the assessment of part design complexity and geometry;
- Evaluation of the efficiency of required manufacturing processes;
- Assessment of the simplicity of the assembly process;
- Overview of tolerances allowed by the product design.
Design for Testing report
Similar to DFM, DFT also includes a thorough report on product design evaluation. This document identifies potential issues affecting the testing process and offers recommendations for improved testability.
In addition to the executive summary and product description that can also be found in the DFM report, the DFT report includes:
- Information on current test coverage and strategies for enhancement;
- Evaluation of product built-in self-test (BIST) capabilities;
- Assessment of compatibility with automated testing equipment;
- Support for fault detection in the design;
- Breakdown of testing time and associated costs.
Conclusions
DFM and DFT are both essential methodologies for product optimisation. DFM focuses on manufacturing process costs and effectiveness, emphasising materials, manufacturing complexity, and tolerances. In contrast, the DFT report prioritises accessibility, simplicity, and testing costs. Visit asselems.com to learn more about this electronics manufacturing service provider ready to enhance production and testing operations based on your DFM and DFT reports.