DFM

In practice

SSG's online part builder returns DFM feedback with its budgetary estimate, before the RFQ goes to principals.

Related terms

DFA

DFA is design for assembly, the practice of designing parts so products go together faster, with fewer parts, fewer fasteners, and fewer ways to assemble them wrong. Typical moves include snap fits, self-locating features, and combining parts. DFA pairs with DFM, which targets each part's manufacturability.

Draft angle

Draft angle is the taper applied to part walls parallel to the direction of mold opening so the part releases without dragging. Injection molded parts typically need 1–2° of draft, plus about 1–1.5° more per 0.001 in (0.025 mm) of texture depth. Die castings typically need 0.5–2°.

Bridge tooling

Bridge tooling is lower-cost, faster tooling, often aluminum or unhardened P20 steel molds and soft dies, used to make production-intent parts while hardened production tooling is built. It covers pilot builds, launches, and early sales at volumes from hundreds to tens of thousands of parts.

Should-cost

Should-cost is an estimate of what a part should cost to make, built bottom-up from material, machine time, labor, overhead, tooling, and margin. Buyers use should-cost models to judge quotes and find cost-down targets, and suppliers use them to explain where a price comes from.