Teaching design for assembly using product disassembly

This paper describes an effective pedagogical approach to teaching design for assembly (DFA). DFA is a well-established technique for reducing the difficulty of assembling a product through identifying design changes. DFA has significant direct and indirect benefits to reducing the manufacturing cost of a product, improving its reliability and ease of service and simplifying the entire manufacturing system. The pedagogical approach described emphasizes hands-on learning. The hands-on activities arise through exposing students to the concepts of DFA through disassembling industrial products. The approach includes lectures, a laboratory and an examination. The educational material is appropriate for mechanical, industrial, manufacturing or interdisciplinary engineering education.