The touchstone of a Manufacturing Systems Engineering curriculum is the synergistic integration of materials design, mechanical design, and manufacturing processing system design. The function of this project is to support the development of a Design for Manufacturability and Assemblability Studio (DFMA) for the practicum sessions in the course, Design for Manufacture. The DFMA Studio achieves 3 functions: (1) Design for Manufacture and Assembly Analysis; (2) Evaluation of Handling and Orientation, and (3) Assembly/Disassembly Evaluation. Six Zenith ZSF-285-25 personal computer stations equipped with Boothroyd Dewhurst Design for Assembly Toolkit software and Design for Manufacture Toolkit software comprises the DFMA Analysis Studio. Four POSI-I mechanically programmable vibratory bowl feeders with Programmable Silhouette Recognizer evaluate the orientability and feedability of a part as a function of component form. American Company System R Modular Workstations with hand tools and pneumatic tools constitute a facility for assembly/disassembly evaluation. This DFMA Studio provides the undergraduate engineering student with the practical evaluation of product design for manufacture. The award is being matched by an equal amount from the principal investigator's institution.
