DFAM

In the design.nexus research group at Ghent University, a methodology was developed during a doctoral study to simplify and make the manual assembly process more intuitive, even during the product development stage. Within this Tetra project, the methodology will be implemented in various business contexts and on different products. The project partners aim to better understand the company-specific factors, optimize the methodology based on these factors, and quantify the impact of the methodology in various business contexts. The project will develop demonstrator case(s) and training tool(s) that enable designers in companies to easily and tailorably implement the methodology.

The goal is to support Flemish SME manufacturing companies, which employ manual assembly to produce a wide variety of different products and also design and manufacture these products themselves. This support will enable them to design their products in a way that allows for more intuitive assembly, reducing assembly errors, minimizing the need for instructions, and addressing the need for competence and autonomy.