Design for Manufacturing Short Course by Andrew Cousins

OBJECTIVE: Learn how to utilize manufacturing processes properly in your designs.
FORMAT: Free, Self-guided.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Multiple articles, each focusing on one type of manufacturing process. Updated frequently with new processes as the articles are released.
TIME COMMITMENT: Articles are about a five-minute read.

Lessons

A Brief Overview of Manufacturing Processes

As designers, you should know as many manufacturing processes as possible. The more processes you know about, the more effectively you can make a good product. This article will provide you with a short list of processes from which you can find inspiration for how to best design your product.

Assignment: Read the article (7 minutes) and begin considering what materials make up your projects and what processes can handle those materials.
Tips: Read the extra articles to add to your considerations. Look around at real-life products and consider the processes that could make them.

Lesson 1: Subtractive Machining

This article dives further into Subtractive Machining. From this article, you will learn some dos and don'ts when designing for this manufacturing process. Subtractive Machining is one of the most common processes and is the first step to many finished products, so it is vital to learn how to design for it.

Assignment: Read the article (7 min) and consider the capabilities of CNC machining with this part.
Tips: Remember that CNC machining requires some training to be successful. There is a plethora of resources available to the public that can be found on YouTube and Google.

Lesson 2: Additive Manufacturing

This article dives further into Additive Manufacturing. Reading this article will teach you the capabilities and some design considerations to keep in mind when designing for this process. Additive manufacturing is a newer technology and has a lot of possibilities, learning how to design for it will give you incredibly valuable abilities.

Assignment: Read the article (7 min) and consider how additive manufacturing would produce this part.
Tips: 3D printers are the easiest way to enter into this hobby. Many public libraries are beginning to include a “maker space,” in which they include 3D printing capabilities. If you are close to BDR Headquarters, visit the BYU Library Makerspace.

Lesson 3: Joining Processes 1, Welding

This article specifically looks at Welding Processes and how to design for them. Welding is a huge industry and many applications, both amateur and professional. Learning how to successfully design for these processes is essential to many occupations.

Assignment: Read the article (7 min) and consider how one might fabricate this rail system.
Tips: Welding requires even more training than CNC operation, however, it can still be used by hobbyists and amateurs alike. Please make sure you have all the requisite PPE for your chosen welding process.