Material Optimization for a Leading Defense Manufacturer using DFMPro

A major aerospace and defense OEM was looking for solutions to reduce program delays and costs. By implementing DFMPro to automate and analyze the categorization of materials and parts, the OEM reduced manufacturing and material complexity and resolved material usage issues. The result was significant savings.

Case Highlights

• The Client

  Leading aerospace and defense manufacturer

• Challenge

  Defense manufacturers can face delays in delivering products if manufacturing and quality issues are discovered late in the process. New production technologies, advancements in materials, and a growing number of variants drive constant additional program complexities—and all of these challenges are larger if the process is outdated or managed manually. A significant aerospace and defense OEM’s engineering group was struggling to construct and specify accurate lists of materials, as well as manage improperly maintained spreadsheets, all of which resulted in using incorrect or antiquated materials—and delays in product delivery. The OEM needed to implement a modern system that would automate, categorize, and store design rules and materials.

• Solution

  The client chose DFMPro, CAD-integrated design-for-manufacture (DFM) software that helps identify and correct downstream issues early in the design stage, leading to reduction of cycle time and resulting in high-quality products with lower product development costs.

  Lists of materials from all departments were categorized into preferred and non-preferred materials using DFMPro’s rule-based category capabilities, which automated what had been a manual—and outdated—process. Preferred materials are readily available and low in cost, whereas non-preferred materials can cause issues like change in design, change in production processes, changes in a product line, and issues like burning during welding or problems with corrosion resistance. The OEM can also use DFMPro to configure either preferred material or non-preferred material going forward, building in efficiency. DFMPro can read the MBD/PMI data and apply it in the material and grade setup, which proves to be a time saver and efficient workflow for engineers. DFMPro also ensures that the material in the model tree is correct and up to date.

• Benefits

  DFMPro can read the MBD/PMI data and apply it in the material and grade setup, ensuring preferred material usage and maintaining an up-to-date material tree

  Instills confidence in the design process

  Time and cost savings with rework reduction and material optimization.