Implementação do método e conceitos DFMA em projetos para construção de equipamentos

Abstract

DFMA or Design for Manufacturing and Assembly is a methodology based on concepts and criterion that seeks to streamline, facilitate, and divert costs in products development, and generally the application of this method is performed in conjunction with some product development process. This methodology can be applied in a simpler way only by applying its principles, or in a more elaborate way with the aid of specific software. The present study had as objective to apply the concepts of this methodology for the construction and development of equipments at various levels of complexity, that is, apply the method generically in an environment of extreme diversity, that is, in equipment with high and low complexity, but with intensities many different. The procedure to achieve this objective was the use of an action research with the aid of planned interviews to define criteria and principles which should be contemplated in the implementation of the DFMA method. This research used the instructions and criteria present in the literature together with data from the interviews in order to prepare an action plan fot that the methodology DFMA could be tested and implemented in the process of development and construction of equipments. The process began with an interview, evaluation and classification of equipment families existing in the company to choose which families and projects are ideal for the study. After that, a thorough DFMA analysis was carried out in two equipment projects, one with low and the other with high complexity, in order to test the method at both extremes of complexity. This analysis was assisted by a series of criteria defined as guide DFMAfull and guide DFMAexpress, they were intended to support and guide the tests. Through this analysis was possible to remake the projects of this equipments considering the principles of DFMA defined in interviews and inserting suggestions from the guides DFMA full and DFMAexpress. At the end of the tests was performed a comparison of existing equipment projects in the company with the new projects based on the methodology, presenting in the form of indicators what were the gains or losses obtained. The most significant results were a reduction of 39.5% in the design time of high complexity equipment, 29.4% reduction in manufacturing time, 88.8% in assembly time and cost reductions close to 20%.