What manufacturing engineering mistakes do you avoid?

Also, an important point is that the design must have a good knowledge about the manufacturing process or in case not have must be in contact with the manufacturing engineer and quality control to understand how the product he is designing could be improved to avoid a mistake at the process or assembly. Could be applied some toolings to do this, like PFMEA, design thinking and GD&T analysis.

I think it's better to put focus on DFM to save time and cost at a later stage of the project. For example when designing a part which is to be welded using GMAW robotic or manual we should always keep in mind about accessibility and thus can make changes in tooling prior to its production phase.

There will be mistakes. That's what teaches. The collective mindset will hopefully bring this experience to the table. Risk mitigation comes first, by experience. Go for it!

In my experience, design and planning have a clear and solid communication with production departments. Clear out all the ambiguities. Design needs to be finalised, procurement and material availability and most important the schedule is made for the list of activities to be done.

In my experience, starting a manufacturing engineering project right means defining the project's goals and timeline. It's crucial to work closely with all teams involved and make sure everyone understands what needs to be done. Before finalizing any plans, it's important to get approval from all teams. The head of the documentation team should make sure everyone is using the latest documents. When creating plans, it's essential to keep costs and budgets in mind. Also, all engineers should know what materials are available in the plant, which materials are preferred, and how long it takes to get materials with longer lead times. This helps engineers make smart choices and keep the project on track.

In the aerospace manufacturing context, quality control is paramount to ensuring products align with design specifications and industry standards. This involves meticulous inspection, measurement, testing, and evaluation at different manufacturing stages. Inadequate quality control can lead to faulty or unsafe aerospace products, damaging reputation, escalating costs, and legal liabilities. To prevent such issues, a robust and consistent quality control system, encompassing all manufacturing aspects, should be implemented. Utilizing appropriate tools, methods, and criteria is essential for ongoing monitoring and improvement of product quality.

I agree, but would rather change to leading rather than lagging metrics of quality. Go for yield optimization and robust product designs to minimize what needs to measured and verified. Save a ton of time and issues down the line by creating better more predictable solutions up front.

Quality control is the most crucial process in manufacturing setup especially when in research and development phase. Comprising it will cost you a lot. So, it must be ensured at each and every stage from beginning till the delivery to the customer

Dealing with poor quality can really mess things up. The team needs to understand quality costs well to set up a good quality management system (QMS) for a manufacturing process. It's crucial to avoid and handle the costs of poor quality, like internal and external failures, with the right QMS. On the flip side, the costs of good quality, such as appraisal and prevention costs, should be used in a way that fits the manufacturing process. Nobody wants inferior quality, so it's key to pick the right QMS that matches the process.

Poor design specifications allow for successful individual talents to suggest what should or could be done. A presentation can be made based on what has been done to a similar product if that fits the required need. The need must be presented first. Then the presentation.

I believe that communication and collaboration should take precedence over any technical or other aspects. When there's a gap between the technical department and the shop floor, issues are likely to arise. In my opinion, engineers should possess knowledge and experience before taking on a leadership role in a project. Even then, they should always value the opinions of technicians and others who work alongside them. Many ingenious ideas originate from individuals who perform the tasks themselves. Therefore, it's essential to establish a strong connection with those to whom tasks are assigned.

Creating procedures, documentation, standardization etc. are all essential objects for manufacturing; but many are missing one point: All these objects can be applicable with a proper, effective and clear communication. Manufacturing managers firstly must focus on avoiding miscommunication, because all other objects can be implemented later on with a good information flow.

From the design engineering side, bring the manufacturing engineers into the pre-award of business discussions to help guide some basic design considerations (ie. Design for manufacturing) they need to actually build the parts. Including them in the early phases of the design will help reduce “change order” costs and gives them more time to finalize and order lines/tooling after award of business. It really boils down to collaboration and effective communication. Cross Functional Team work and not working in silos.

One of the most frequent errors what manufacturing engineers do while specifying an equipment or machine is not discussing it thoroughly with end users - production team members and maintainance technicians,i.e the individual who shall be physically using the machine/equipment in series production.This can greatly help in including lessons learnt , best practices and reduction in change management costs in future during commissioning.

By and large, you have to live the problem before trying to solve it. In a upgrade project, this means fully understanding the production needs and established methods. You get that by extensive discussions. As the project takes shape, the involved parties need to be kept abreast of developments and decisions made. Better to have the debates when the design is on paper, and not when it is fabricated of steel. Managers want to know what is going on, so they can shape direction and report upwards. Maintenance wants to know what is going on, so their pain points can be addressed, and no further pain is created. Production needs to know, because they only told you half of what they really do, and you need to adapt. Talk and mostly listen.

Design review is essential - we should ask questions like "can these two brackets become one?" then "can these new one bracket perform three functions?" I've seen assemblies wherein a part costing less than a dollar, costs about quarter-minimum wage to install.

In manufacturing engineering, innovation propels product, production and process evolution. Foster a culture of innovation, strategically choosing areas for improvement, and emphasizing the importance of considering costs, risks, and benefits. Big picture thinking is essential for ensuring efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainable growth in your endeavors.

One key area that is often skipped or shortened is Design for Manufacturability (DFM). The manufacturing team should be involved on the design phase early on. Many companies, when on a tight schedule, will rush to get the product out and skip this step assuming that it will get fixed later. You can have the best technical and innovative design on the market, but if you can't build it economically (high yield and low cost), then you won't be successful.

Inflexible Processes: Being too rigid in processes can hinder the ability to adapt to changes in demand or new innovations. Neglecting Maintenance: Regular maintenance of machinery and equipment is essential to prevent breakdowns and ensure consistent production quality.

A lack of culture that values continuous improvement can turn a problem that looks easy to solve on paper into a long lasting burden for both the plant and the production support staff. Example: A machine is identified as the bottleneck operation limiting overall throughput. Easy solution: Buying a duplicate machine = double the output. Unforseen impacts: - The manufacturing process wasn't capable (low Ppk) so doubling output also doubles scrap. - The manufacturing process wasn't evaluated for its scalability, not all production associates possess the techniques/training needed so the duplicate system isn't fully utilized. - All operations weren't assessed, buying a duplicate of "A" shifts bottleneck to "B" with high lead times to resolve.

In Depth Process Evaluation, all thru project. From initial introduction thru to launch. Production feasibility of manual process vs automation process. I've seen instances where company spends hundreds of thousands of dollars for automation, end up losing thousands more due to production qty limits. Just to end up adding secondary manual operation, in order to meet customers order qtys, over project life.

Environment, Health and Safety is a very important aspect of manufacturing globally. Often neglected but I do see a lot more of a shift/focus on this in recent years, however there is still much to be done in this sector especially in emerging markets where this is often secondary or tertiary (or worse) towards other initiatives. I think a lot of this can be benefited by more education and more awareness on key topics that can impact operations as well communities at the micro and macro level.

I've had manufacturing engineers tell me 'my job is to deskill the process.' But deskilling can go too far. If you remove all skill, you remove all employee engagement.

I would start with your WHIMIS binder and work out from there. Worker safety should be front and center. Reducing or eliminating the toxic chemicals that your workers are exposed to should also reduce the environmental impact of any effluent/waste you produce.

It is good to have a checklist to run through the solution that you have come up with. The list is essentially a number of questions to ask yourself. Such as..... Will it be difficult to manufacture? Will it fit through doorways for installation? What alternative materials could be used? Am I proud of this? and so on...

Another mistake, which occurs later in the process development, is believing that errors and issues that crop up during the qualification run are one-offs or not a big deal. My saying - "If it happens during qualification, it'll happen again (and again and again)". Fix the problems that happen during qualification ASAP or you will be stuck with them during scale-up, when they're harder to fix.

Increasing profit by using cheaper materials, suppliers, work force, production process etc can turn into a real disaster super fast, almost as fast as your sales numbers will drop. Yes, profit is important and should allways be a part of the equation, but: 1) there is allways a limit to what you can do while maintaining a decent product and keeping your customer base happy 2) the optimization process should allways be methodical, transparent and quality oriented 3) short term financial savings can quickly turn into long term financial losses Product focused companies make good products and good profit. Profit focused companies make shity products and are a financial disaster waiting to happen.

If a manufacturing engineer designs a production machine, NEVER make the mistake of allowing the manufacturer of the machine to spec the hydraulic power unit without providing their engineers with a non-negotiable spec for the HPU. Typically the machine manufacturer will design the machine and send the HPU out for bid. Invariably, the lowest bidder will get the order. Plants throughout America are paying a very hefty price for this oversight. Regrettably, HPU’s are generally so poorly designed that they contribute to hours of unnecessary downtime. Moreover, when the pump suffers a catastrophic failure, which is common, fragments will invade the entire hydraulic system and cause considerable collateral damage.

Before blaming workers for a problem, make sure the instructions they have received are existant, available, understandable and accurate.