Key Engineering Materials Vol.

486 (2011) pp 9-12

Online available since 2011/Jul/27 at www.scientific.net
© (2011) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland
doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.486.9

Review of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly Aspects to

Designing Modern Micro-wave and Sheet Metal Products

Mika Lohtander1,a, Harri Eskelinen1,b and Juha Varis1,c

1
Lappeenranta University of Technology, P.O. Box 20, 53850 Lappeenranta, Finland
a
mika.lohtander@lut.fi, bharri.eskelinen@lut.fi, cjuha.varis@lut.fi

Keywords: Design for Manufacturing and Assembly DFM(A), Manufacturability, Sheet Metal,
Micro-wave Product, Design Rules.

Abstract. In this paper, we present different points of view to make the sheet metal and micro-wave
product as manufacturing friendly as possible. Within DFM(A)-research (Design for Manufacturing
and Assembly), engineering design and manufacturability of Micro-Wave (MW) and sheet metal
products has been studied. Other aspects of DFM(A) have risen from novel material applications
and the development of CAD (Computer Aided Design) environments. In this paper, practical
examples are presented to show how to apply DFMA-rules to MW- and sheet metal components, in
particular, and how to develop DFM(A)-rules for these purposes.

Rules of Thumb for Different Manufacturing Technologies

When the viewpoints related to sheet metal work are examined in general, we discover that there
are a large number of different individual design rules, as well as actions aiming at improving the
manufacturability of individual products [1].
Fig. 1 shows two parts that have been bent and shaped [2]. In principle, both are very easy to
produce with modern devices, but in this particularly case, the arrangement of features requires
several phases of different kinds of manufacturing stages. In both parts, there is an emboss with a
hexagonal opening. In part A, the emboss is downward compared to the bends, therefore at least two
manufacturing stages are needed. If the emboss were upward, a turret punch press with a forming
option could be used. In part B, there are two parallel legs. This also requires at least two
manufacturing stages, because it is impossible to manufacture a tool which bends both legs at the
same time. If the legs were not parallel, one stage manufacturing were possible.
B.)

C.)
A.)
Possible
process

Fig. 1 A.), B.)Two parts included complex shape combination [2]. C.) The characteristic
impedance (Z) of the filter sections is based on the width of the metal strip (W). At high impedance
levels, a very narrow strip is used and its sensitivity to parameter variations is considerable. Strip
thickness is 0.5 mm. [10]

In MW-mechanics it is typical that due to the physical rules of microwave propagation, the
milled edges of cavity resonators, MW-filters or other similar components should be sharp. The
rules of thumb in DFM(A) would rather see rounded edges, which are caused by the nose radius of
the cutting tool. The rounded edge would cause unwanted reflection of microwaves in the cavity
which decreases performance.
To clarify the relationship of MW-mechanics with sheet metal products and to show some
evidence about LUT’s (Lappeenranta University of Technology) experience and knowledge about
DFMA-analysis of MW-components a set of photos is presented in Fig. 2. At LUT following sheet

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10 Advanced Design and Manufacture IV

metal MW-components have been manufactured and tested during the past decades [3]: cavity
resonators, ring-hybrid resonators, MW-filters, centre strips of MW-filters and power dividers,
enclosures, feeding strips of MW-filters and power dividers, horn antenna constructions and patch
antenna constructions.

A B C D E F G
Figure 1. A set of photos of MW-components made of sheet metal parts, which are manufactured
and tested at LUT [1]. A) MW-filter, B) Cavity resonator, C and D) Antenna constructions, E) Horn
antenna, F and G) Feeding strips (inside a cavity).

Utilization of Lists and Forms to Analyze the Properties of the Modularized Constructions
and Assemblies
Typically, DFM(A)-guidelines claim that it is advantageous to minimize the number of parts to
be assembled. In MW-mechanics, there is typically a need to use striplines and cables in the same
construction, which usually makes it necessary to use several connector types. Another rule, which
is generally violated in MW-mechanics states that the designer should check that there is enough
space for assembly and necessary tools. However, in many cases the performance of a MW-device
can be improved (e.g. lower loss) if distances between components can be minimized. The third rule
of easy DFM(A) which is hard to obey in MW-mechanics, is the utilization of general tolerances
e.g. according to ISO-2768 standard due to the fact that in many cases the values of general
tolerances are not sufficient. [3]

Currently, large enterprises outsource product design to a great extent. In such cases, the
subcontractor designs the product from his or her own perspective and with his or her own
expertise. The actual designers will not know where and with what equipment the product will be
manufactured. They will attempt to incorporate as many functions as possible into one component
in accordance with the DFM(A) method. Sheet metal parts in particular can thus become very
complex [4], and their automatic manufacturing may be difficult or, with some automatic
equipment, even impossible.
According to the experience gained at LUT, the most relevant DFM(A)-aspect is accepting the
fact that connectors utilized in MW-mechanics are mostly standardized according to MIL-standards.
Usually it means that their dimensions are based on the units used in United States. One typical
connector type is the SMA-type connector. Another important standardized component group is
waveguides. These two groups (connectors and waveguides) allow designing modularized
constructions also for the mechanical body of the electrical device.

Development of Manufacturing Technologies

Traditionally, the manufacturing industry has attempted to improve manufacturability by
increasing and developing automatic process control equipment. In many cases increased
automation leads to reaching a kind of saturation point where flexibility is lost. Sheet metal
manufacturability studies carried out in LUT [5] have shown that development of manufacturing
equipment does not solve the manufacturability problem because sheet metal parts could be
complicatedly shaped or quite big [2].
The research results at LUT have shown that the DFM(A)-rules of making hermetic enclosures
have developed remarkably during the past decades. Further, it has been necessary to ensure the
electrical reliability of capsulated MW-devices and, in addition to this, hermetic sealing
 Key Engineering Materials Vol. 486 11

technologies should reach better productivity. The cross-technologic task is to integrate DFM(A)-
aspects with hermeticity properties, mechanical reliability, electromagnetic shielding, inner
atmosphere analysis and temperature distribution of the enclosure. [7]

The Use of CAD Environments with Feature Based Interfaces

Sheet metal products can be classified according to their geometrical, non-geometrical, assembly
and manufacturing features [5]. Manufacturing features are shapes generated with a particular sheet
metal production method of a product that demand certain manufacturing measures [5]. These
features are different from design features. In LUT’s studies, the manufacturing features of sheet
metal have been divided into following groups: dimensions and mass, material, bending, forming,
marking, threads, openings, grinding, surface treatment.
In MW-mechanics it would be useful if at least some of the design rules of MW-mechanics could
be integrated into the 3D-CAD-software as parametric features. According to the results at LUT’s
laboratory, the most promising results of DFM(A)- and 3D-CAD-integration are achieved in
stripline filter design. In general, the characteristic impedance of the filter sections is based on the
width of the metal strip. At high impedance levels, narrow strip is used and its sensitivity to
parameter variations is considerable. These connections can be described as feature based rules in
CAD-software e.g. based on the curve plotted in Fig. 1 C.). This parameter can be connected to the
stripline thickness analogical to the parameters of a drilled hole in traditional DFM(A)-modeling.

Development of Design Methodologies

Traditional drawings, CAD designs and 3D models are incapable of presenting and transferring
design and manufacturing information between different systems. For this reason, the idea that a
design should contain other information besides a product’s geometry, such as manufacturing data,
has been investigated. A study [6] was carried out at LUT which described the machine and device
resources in the turret punch press environment which are needed for the development of DFM(A)
method for automated production of sheet metal products.
According to LUT’s research work, special DFM(A)-questionnaires are useful when designing
MW-mechanics. These questionnaires can be integrated either in the systematic design approach
according to VDI 2222 or in Concurrent Engineering.
During the demonstrated design tasks at LUT, it has been proved, that the operating frequency
guides both the manufacturing accuracy and the material selection of the MW-component. The basic
questions are, therefore, what is the expected operating frequency of the MW-component and what
is the maximum radio frequency power to be handled. E.g., if the operating frequency is over 15
GHz, only high conductive metals (Cu, Au) are acceptable. Further, tolerances should be between
5…10 µm.

Approaches to Integrate the New Material Technology

The material properties of the selected ceramics should usually provide the combination of
microwave energy absorption and thermal conductivity required by this demanding environment. In
addition to this, we must be able to achieve the precise dimensional control of the target component.
Based on observations gained at LUT’s laboratory tests, the most important material characteristics
for a ceramic microwave element are: Microwave absorption characteristics, thermal conductivity,
consistency of properties, mechanical reliability, precision machining capability (incl. DFM(A)-
aspects), tailored dielectric properties, required electrical resistivity and high dielectric strength. The
most promising powder compositions either as bulk material or nano-scaled layers are as follows:
MgO–2%SiC, Al2O3–60%SiC, AlN–40%SiC, BeO2–40%SiC and MgO–5%SiC. From the DFMA’s
point of view, the criteria of easy powder metallurgy should be met. [3]
12 Advanced Design and Manufacture IV

Integrated DFMA-Approaches to Control and Manage the Product Design Process and its
Costs
A cost-effective total product contains the idea of financial control of the product’s lifecycle
which includes the main levels of this cycle: design, manufacture, marketing, use, maintenance,
service and recycling or material recovery. This requires making a commitment to
manufacturability, as well as all other activities and events during a product’s lifecycle, to an ever
increasing degree. The prerequisite for this is that the informational parts of each process related to
the product are under control and that the relationships of knowledge are understood. [6]
The complexity of different work piece geometries, material combinations and non-similar joints
in MW-applications form such a large number of alternatives for selecting optimal manufacturing
technologies that specific optimization criteria are needed. These ratios should include both the
aspects describing the effectiveness of production and the investment costs. During the optimization
process, it is necessary to fit together both the functionally important electrical and mechanical
requirements and the manufacturability aspects of the MW-component. At LUT’s laboratory, the
key ratio was accuracy [IT-grade] [min] / attenuation, gain or noise figure [dB].

Summary
Computer-aided design (CAD) of sheet metal and micro-wave components is technically rather
easy at present. However, the apparently easy design process may result in problems in the
manufacturing properties. Consequently, one should always take into account the manufacturing
technologies used, and consider the consequences of selecting a certain technology. This is why
different DFM(A) aspects must be taking into account.
In this paper, a review of approaches to put DFM(A) (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly)
in practice is presented based on the research results of sheet metal parts and micro-wave products
achieved at Lappeenranta University of Technology.

References
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No. 15. pp. 3889 – 3913.
[2] Lohtander, M. Varis, J. Manufacturability of large sheet metal part, Proceedings of 13th
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[7] Eskelinen, H.;Tuning the design procedures for laser processed microwave mechanics, LUT
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Advanced Design and Manufacture IV
10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.486

Review of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly Aspects to Designing Modern Micro-Wave and
Sheet Metal Products
10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.486.9

DOI References
[1] Ramana, K.V. and Rao, P.V.M. Automated manufacturability evaluation system for sheet metal
components in mass production. International Journal of Production Research. 2005. Vol. 43. No. 15. p.3889
– 3913.
doi:10.1080/00207540500066853
[4] Wang, Cheng-Hua, et al. 1997. Design and manufacturing of sheet metal parts: Using features to aid
process planning and resolve manufacturability problems. Robotics and Computer- Integrated Manufacturing.
Vol. 13, No 3. The Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University. Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. pp.281-294.
doi:10.1016/S0736-5845(97)00009-4