PR Checklist Stage4 Final
PR Checklist Stage4 Final
PR Checklist Stage4 Final
PROCESS CHECKLISTS
STAGE 4
Design for
Manufacturing
Finished Engineering
and Documentation
Product Development & Manufacturing
PROCESS CHECKLISTS
• STAGE 1 – Planning
• STAGE 2 – Design
STAGE 4 • STAGE 3 – Prototype
Design for • STAGE 4 – Design for Manufacturing
Manufacturing • STAGE 5 – Manufacturing
• STAGE 6 – Post-Manufacturing
A successful new product development project also calls for a process – along with a full
understanding and acceptance of that process by everyone involved.
We have broken down the product development and manufacturing process into six stages – from
requirements and prototype to manufacturing and distribution.
We developed this series of Process Checklists to help you and your team plan, execute and
monitor these six stages. We invite you to use these checklists as you plan your own product
development and manufacturing project.
We provide a full-service approach to product development meaning we handle all aspects of the
product development process.
At this stage, the product will undergo necessary design changes to correct any design deficiencies
identified in the prototyping process and the design and manufacturing process will be updated
to improve manufacturability and reliability. Now is the time to make it manufacturable on a larger
scale – whether that’s just a few units per month or an order of several thousand units.
We often think of the design and prototype stages as the fun part of the job because you get to see
what the product will ultimately look like. It’s where you really get a sense that a product is in the
making. But it is the Design for Manufacturing stage, also known as DFM, where the serious business
of manufacturing begins to take shape.
A prototype, in and of itself, is not ready for manufacturing. It’s just one unit (or several as the case
may be) built and engineers have been looking over it at every step. But to produce that product
at a production level, steps need to be taken to allow that product to be built efficiently and
repeatedly, and without engineers.
Design for Manufacturing is also responsible for all the required documentation, assembly
documentation to test procedures.
D
esign for Manufacturing Analysis
Review the design of most current prototype looking for opportunities for increased quality
and decreased cost (don’t get these confused).
Are there certain parts that are sole-sourced (from only one supplier)? This is likely for some
of the components and it’s important that a risk analysis be done on the supply of the
component to mitigate any disruption in manufacturing. Possible mitigation would include:
R
egulatory Testing
Based on the required markets, the DFM process is also the time for regulatory testing of the product.
Using the Prototypes developed previously, or pilot units built for this purpose, collect all of the
documentation required for submission to the regulatory body. This includes:
Component Datasheets – is many cases, the component specifications and regulatory marks
will need to be confirmed. The testing lab will give a list of the required parts.
Traceability
How do you intend to track product through production and in the field?
Do any parts or sub-assemblies need to be Serialized or Lot Numbered?