DESIGN FOR ASSEMBLY IN ACTION.

Abstract

Database procedures have been developed by the authors as tools to help engineers design products that can be assembled efficiently. These procedures are available in the form of handbooks and IBM compatible software, and address manual assembly, high-speed automatic assembly and the use of general-purpose robots for product assembly. The procedures are being used in a wide range of industries and have resulted in substantial reductions in assembly time and cost. This article is intended to illustrate the effectiveness of Design For Assembly (DFA) by comparing the analysis results of the most popular Japanese dot matrix printer, The Epson MX80, with the recently introduced IBM Proprinter.