Novel DFMA-Tools For Passive MW- And RF-Components In Cost-Effective Mass Production

Because of the large production volumes of MW- and RF- technology even slight improvements of design methodologies or manufacturing technologies would give possibilities for cost reduction. Modern tools for cost-effective DFMA (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly) for passive components and modern antenna constructions should be easy to integrate with the tools for electrical design. Furtheron design methodologies for mechanical components should be tuned for this specific branch of science and for the specific product type. Recently this kind of development has been seen in antenna design and the results of reducing the design and manufacturing costs have been promising [1]. We have designed and manufactured a prototype of a smart antenna and its all passive components for mobile communication. To increase the flexibility of the mobile systems those wide band designs are used which are able to provide electronic real-time beam stearing through analog technologies or digital beam forming. We have gathered novel DFMA-aspects [2] during this design project and tested virtual engineering (VE) tools to improve product's performance and to increase the cost-effectiveness of the design and manufacturing processes.