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You’ve done it. Your prototype works beautifully—it validates your concept, impresses stakeholders, and proves your design vision. But as you stare at that functional prototype, a sobering question emerges: How do we actually make thousands of these?

This is where many promising products stumble. The gap between “it works” and “we can manufacture it profitably” has derailed countless innovations. Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is the bridge that gets you across that gap safely.

Welcome to Part 2 of a three part series on Design For Manufacturing. In this post, we’ll discuss some key DFM considerations for your design.

Key DFM Considerations for Your Design

Material Selection Strategy

Your prototype materials were chosen for functionality and availability. Production materials must balance performance, cost, processability, and supply chain reliability. This often means transitioning from exotic materials to engineering plastics, or from complex alloys to standard grades.

Geometric Optimization

Manufacturing processes have preferred geometries. Injection molding loves uniform wall thickness and draft angles. CNC machining prefers features accessible by standard tooling. Sheet metal forming has bend radius requirements. DFM aligns your design with these preferences rather than fighting them.

Assembly Architecture

The difference between a complex assembly and an optimized one often determines manufacturing feasibility. DFM systematically reduces part count, eliminates difficult assembly operations, and designs in quality control checkpoints.

Tolerance Strategy

Your prototype might have been machined to tight tolerances throughout. Production economics demand a tolerance strategy—tight where it matters for function, relaxed where it doesn’t affect performance. This single consideration can dramatically impact manufacturing costs.

Up Next:

In Part 3 of this series we’ll look at making DFM work for your team. Stay tuned!