Designing for Joining and Assembly

Abstract

The aim of the engineer is to generate products that meet the customer’s requirements of function, quality, reliability, etc. at the lowest practical cost. In general terms, the simpler the product, the easier this will be to achieve. One criterion for simplicity is the number of individual components required. More components mean more joints, more potential tolerance problems, and more variety for the manufacturing system to control, and in the end they will add more cost to the product. When considering an assembly or joining process the engineer should first question the need for the joint.