Design For Manufacture And Assembly: A Survey Of Desired Competencies

Research conducted in 2003 identified major gaps in the supply and demand for engineering design education including design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA). This paper presents the results of a subsequent research effort conducted during the fall of 2005 to identify specific competencies desired by industry and academia. In addition, a variety of learning experiences desired by industry were compared to those actually provided by academia. While industry and academia largely agree upon DFM, manufacturing processes and materials competencies, the data suggest that industry would like more emphasis on the following DFA competencies: a) identifying part features or characteristics that affect part insertion and fastening, b) identifying part features or characteristics that affect part handling and c) using solid modeling software to verify that mating parts will assemble. The data also suggest that industry desires more emphasis on the following “class-room” learning experiences: a) complete a design project using DFMA guidelines/checklists and b) make a part using rapid prototyping; and “non class-room” learning experiences: a) visit local industry, b) do a summer internship in industry, c) complete a term in industry (co-op ed.). Lastly, the data show that most engineers do not learn their DFMA methods and concepts in their undergraduate program. Rather, they learn them via “on-site” training.