APPLYING DFMA TECHNIQUES IN THE DESING IN THE DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF WIND TUNNEL MODELS

Abstract

Applying DFMA (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly) principles is crucial in the process of designing models for wind tunnel testing. The design process, especially of models for measuring the pressure distribution, takes several months. Production of these models require a minimum couple of months; sometime even more. The manufacturing with defects are not allowed. Very narrow time limits, defined by a contract, do not leave enough time for reworking. Very often, designers may not have knowledge of manufacturing rules and best practices - resulting in slower product development cycles, increased ECO/MCO (Engineering Change Order / Manufacturing Change Order), significant material waste and lower production yields. Manual reviews of Design or consultations with manufacturing experts are time consuming. Whole process need for proximity between design and manufacturing engineers. Design engineers need quick and interactive feedback while designing, integrated access to company’s manufacturing knowledge repository. This paper presents an automated application DFMA principles, applying the rules defined in the prototype production of wind tunnel models in Military Technical Institute.