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80 MMS August 2017 mmsonline.com FEATURE calculations should span. "Setting an FEA model's boundary conditions correctly, understanding the nature and behaviors of materials, and understand- ing the significance of the results requires a fun- damental understanding of engineering statics, dynamics, thermodynamics and strength of mate- rials," Mr. Teixeira explains. "I apply this knowledge to perform first-order calculations by hand prior to using the FEA software to understand what the range of results should be. I then transition to the FEA software to reveal behaviors in part stress, deflection, weak points and so on in order to effectively tune the part design." Mr. Teixeira says Parametric USA has used FEA to refine the designs of multiple customer projects, although confidentiality agreements prevent him from disclosing details about many of those parts. One example he can describe in very general terms is a component of a yearlong product development ef for t for Mount z Inc., designer and manufacturer of fastener torque- control tools and related products located in nearby San Jose, California. Aware of Mr. Drury's and Mr. Teixeira's engi- neering background, Mountz brought them in to perform DFM analysis of the initial design. They presented a detailed review of each par t and demonstrated a potential cost savings of more than $11,000 for the first batch of 100 products. Howeve r, af te r ex te nsive te sting, Mount z recognized that a major redesign was required to yield a solution that met the product's perfor- mance requirements. Therefore, a second devel- opment ef for t with Parametric USA and other industry specialists was launched to pursue two different mechanical solutions. Both were devel- oped simultaneously to converge on a design solution that never could have been realized w i th o u t FE A , D FM a n d e n d l e s s te s ti n g, M r. Teixeira says. The goal was not only to generate a product that would be simpler to manufacture, but also to investigate different materials, surface finishes and heat-treating methods. The component mentioned previously, which was ultimately made from 9310 case-hardened steel, proved to be one for which DFM concepts could reduce manufacturing costs. This compo- nent experiences a side load of 1,500 pounds under dynamic conditions. The initial design called for its shaft to be rectangular, which required a custom rectangular slide to be manufactured at Parametric USA creates infographics such as this for its customers' engineers that show how much those engineers have saved their companies by implement- ing DFM on various parts. This is the infographic it created for Mountz after the initial DFM efforts for the company's new product.