IB Design Technology 4.4 Manufacturing Processes Notes

Design for Manufacture (DfM): Ensuring Quality and Ease of Production

1. DfM is a strategic methodology that integrates manufacturing considerations into the design process from the very beginning.
2. By doing so, it minimizes production challenges, reduces costs, and ensures that the final product meets quality standards.

Variety of Manufacturing Methods: Tailoring Processes to Product Needs

1. The manufacturing process you choose can make or break the success of your product.
2. Each method offers unique advantages and is suited to specific materials, production scales, costs, and precision requirements.
3. Broadly, manufacturing processes fall into four categories:
   1. Additive techniques
   2. Subtractive techniques
   3. Shaping techniques
   4. Joining techniques.

Understanding these methods and their applications is key to aligning your design with production realities.

Additive Techniques: Building Layer by Layer

1. Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, creates products by adding material layer by layer.
2. This approach is particularly advantageous for producing complex geometries, detailed prototypes, and low-volume custom parts.

Common Additive Techniques:

1. Rapid Prototyping:
   1. A fast and cost-effective way to produce prototypes for testing and iteration, allowing you to refine designs before committing to full-scale production.

1. Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM):
   1. Bonds layers of material (such as paper, plastic, or metal) and cuts them to shape. LOM is ideal for creating large, sturdy prototypes.

1. Stereolithography (SLA):
   1. Uses a laser to cure liquid resin into solid shapes. SLA is renowned for its high precision and smooth surface finish, making it suitable for intricate models.

Subtractive Techniques: Shaping by Removing Material

1. Subtractive manufacturing involves removing material from a larger block to achieve the desired shape.