Overlooked aspects of design for manufacturability

Three manufacturing methods are considered: manual (people do the assembly tasks), soft automation (reprogrammable robots are used), and hard automation (specially designed machine tools are used). The discussion covers: uniaxis assembly, focusing on its suitability when used with the above methods; determining the manufacturing method before design; the resultant shift of decision-making power in a company to the designer; and the importance of building on a company´s strengths where choosing an assembly method.<>