An estimated 80% of a product’s final cost is determined during the initial design phase. Yet, for many product teams, manufacturing is treated as a downstream concern.

This disconnect is the most common source of catastrophic budget overruns. It’s the sinking feeling of a “finished” design being rejected by the manufacturer, forcing expensive redesigns and retooling. 

It’s the production delays and excessive scrap rates that turn a brilliant concept into a failed project.


This is where Design for Manufacturability (DFM) becomes the critical bridge between idea and execution. At RMA Engineering, we position DFM at the center of our comprehensive three-phase approach. 

We seamlessly connect our design, prototyping, and large-scale manufacturing services to ensure your product is optimized for production from the very first sketch. Our goal is to move you beyond simple prototyping and into a profitable partnership that guides your product from concept to market.

1. Simplification and Part Count Reduction

Core Principle: The Best Design is the Simplest Design



The most immediate and impactful DFM principle is simplification. Every part in an assembly requires material, fabrication time, tooling, inventory management, and assembly labor. By minimizing the total number of components, you directly reduce complexity and cost.


Actionable DFM Advice:


• Integrate and Consolidate: Look for opportunities to design multi-functional components that consolidate features previously handled by separate pieces. For example, replacing a bracket and a cover with a single integrated housing.

• Prioritize Design for Assembly (DFA): DFA is the sister principle to DFM. Design parts that allow for simple, single-direction assembly (e.g., top-down insertion). Favor snap-fits, clips, and interlocking features over labor-intensive fasteners like screws, bolts, and washers.

• Standardize: Design your product to use a minimal number of fastener types and sizes. Consolidating to one or two standard screws dramatically simplifies inventory, tooling changes, and assembly line management.


DFM Impact: Reducing your part count by 20% can lower your assembly time and inventory management costs by an even greater margin, dramatically improving your margin as you scale production.

2. Strategic Material and Component Selection

Core Principle: Material Choice is a Cost Driver


Your choice of material must satisfy performance requirements, but in a DFM context, it must also satisfy the requirements of the manufacturing process and the supply chain. 


A design featuring an exotic, hard-to-source alloy is inherently less manufacturable than one using a standard-grade plastic or metal, even if the material performance is marginally better.

Actionable DFM Advice:


• Process Compatibility: The material must be perfectly suited for your manufacturing service method. For example, using a high-melt-temperature resin for an injection molding process that has a limited cycle time can drastically increase your per-part cost or cause tooling damage.

• Availability and Standardization:  Prioritize materials and off-the-shelf components (like motors, sensors, or power supplies) that are readily available in your target region. Leveraging standard components simplifies the supply chain and provides buffers against global component shortages.

• Cost vs. Performance Trade-off: Challenge every high-cost material specification. Can a lower-cost, high-volume material, combined with a geometry adjustment, achieve the same performance goal? Our design services focus on this optimization at the earliest stage.