DFMA® DFM Concurrent Costing

Machining Quick Estimate

With the DFM Concurrent Cos�ng so�ware, two types of machined/cut from stock analyses are possible; namely a Full
analysis and a Quick es�mate. If accuracy of results is of the utmost importance or a detailed breakdown of the machining
cost is required, a Full analysis is recommended. However, a machining Quick es�mate is helpful when detailed knowledge of
machining opera�ons and machine tools is not available. A Quick es�mate is also useful when a rough es�mate of part cost
is needed very quickly and with less effort than that required for a Full analysis. In this tutorial, we will generate a machining
Quick es�mate for the machined part shown below. We will also compare the Quick es�mate with a Full analysis to es�mate
the difference in the cost results.

A machining Quick es�mate and a machining Full analysis for this part have also been completed and stored in the
cylinder.dfmx sample file installed with the so�ware.

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DFMA® DFM Concurrent Costing
1. Start a new analysis in DFM Concurrent Cos�ng and complete the part descrip�on as shown below.

2. Click the Original tab above the Process chart and enter Quick es�mate. Press enter to rename the analysis tab.
3. Click the Select process and material bu�on.
4. On the Process and material selec�on dialog, open the Machining or cut from stock category and click the Quick es�mate
process. Choose the Generic stainless steel material in the Stainless steel category. Click the OK bu�on to accept the
selec�ons and return to the main window.
5. The Stock process entry is now highlighted on the Process chart. A default cost es�mate for the machined part has been
calculated. This default cost es�mate will now be refined so that a more accurate Quick es�mate is generated.
6. Select Round bar or rod from the Stock material form dropdown.
7. Click the Machining opera�ons entry on the Process chart. In the Part shape classifica�on group box, click Primary
rota�onal and secondary (features). Click the Calculate bu�on to update the default values and results for the machining
opera�ons.
8. This part must be machined from both ends and as a result will be reversed once during machining. For this reason, enter 2
into the Number of clampings input.
9. Rough turning is carried out on the outside diameter of the small flange and the outside diameter of the center sec�on. A
large non-secondary hole is drilled through the center. For these features, enter 3 into the Rough turned features input.
10. Enter 4 into the Rough milled features input to account for the four rough milled slots in the part’s center sec�on.
11. Finish turning is carried out on the outside and inside faces of the large flange, the outside face of the small flange, and the
central hole. For these features enter 4 into the Finish machined turned features input.
12. Enter 4 for both the Drilled secondary holes and the Threaded features inputs to account for the four secondary holes
that are drilled into the large flange and then tapped. Click the Calculate bu�on to update the machining opera�ons cost
results.
13. The Part feature details group box contains inputs for the surface area generated by various machining processes. This
informa�on can either be entered directly into these fields or it can be es�mated using the geometry calculators. Normally,
the machining cost is not very sensi�ve to changes in this surface area informa�on. For this reason, it is intended that rough
es�mates for these area inputs would be entered without use of the geometry calculator. However, for completeness, this
tutorial will guide you through comple�on of the en�re geometry for this part using the calculators.

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DFMA® DFM Concurrent Costing

Using the Geometry calculators to de�ine the part volume and machined areas.
1. Highlight the Stock process entry on the Process Chart.

2. Open the geometry calculator for the part volume by clicking the located next to the Part volume field.
3. We will approximate the volume of the finished part by first adding cylinders for the part’s flanges and center sec�on. Click
the bu�on on the shapes toolbar to add a cylinder to the geometry chart. Name the cylinder large flange.
4. Enter a length of 0.8 inches and a diameter of 4 inches in the dimensions panel on the right side of the screen.
5. Add another cylinder to the geometry chart and name it center sec�on. Enter a length of 4.4 inches and a diameter of 2.4
inches.
6. Add a third cylinder to the geometry chart and name it small flange. Enter a length of 0.8 inches and a diameter of 3
inches.
7. We will also subtract cylinders to account for the holes that pass through the part’s center and large flange. Add a fourth
cylinder to the geometry chart and name it center hole. Enter a length of 6 inches and a diameter of 1.5 inches. Subtract
this hole by clicking the bu�on next to the Volume field on the right panel.
8. Add a cylinder to the chart and name it flange hole. Enter a length of 0.8 inches and a diameter of 0.2 inches. Change the
repeat count to 4 and subtract the volume by clicking the bu�on.
9. Obrounds are subtracted to account for the slots that are milled in the part’s center sec�on. Add an obround to the chart
and name it slot. Click the bu�on on the shapes toolbar. Enter a thickness of 0.45 inches, a width of 0.75 inches, and
a length of 2.5 inches. Change the repeat count for the obround to 4.
10. Note that the part volume total shown beneath the chart is 20.74 cubic inches. Click OK to transfer this total volume to the
analysis.
11. Click on the Machining opera�ons entry on the Process chart.
12. Next we will approximate the surface area generated by the finish turning done on the outside faces of the large and small
flanges, the inside face of the large flange, and the central hole. Click the bu�on next to the Finish turned area field on
the responses panel. Click to add an annulus area to the chart and name it outside face - small flange. Enter an inside
diameter of 1.5 inches and an outside diameter of 3 inches.
13. Add another annulus area to the chart and name it outside face - large flange. Enter an inside diameter of 1.5 inches and
an outside diameter of 4 inches.

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DFMA® DFM Concurrent Costing
14. Add a third annulus area to the chart and name it inside face - large flange. Enter an inside diameter of 2.4 inches and an
outside diameter of 4 inches.
15. Add a cylindrical area to the chart and name it center hole. Enter a length of 6 inches and a diameter of 1.5 inches.

16. Click OK to transfer the Finish turned area of 52.418 to the analysis.

17. Click the beside the Area of drilled or reamed holes field. This calculator will be used to define the cylindrical area of the
four small secondary holes drilled into the large flange. Add a cylindrical area to the chart and name it flange hole. Enter a
length of 0.8 inches and a diameter of 0.2 inches. Change the repeat count to 4.
18. Click OK to transfer the hole area to the analysis.

19. Click the beside the Area of threaded features field.

20. This calculator will be used to define the cylindrical area of the four threaded holes on the large flange. Add a cylindrical
area to the chart and name it flange hole threads. Enter a length of 0.8 inches and a diameter of 0.2 inches. Change the
repeat count to 4.
21. Click OK to transfer the area of threaded features to the analysis.
22. On the Machining opera�ons response panel, check the values shown in Part feature details group box that have been
transferred from the calculators below.

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DFMA® DFM Concurrent Costing

Completing the Quick estimate

1. Leave the Part surface finish dropdown set to Average. Enter 0.75 inches for the average diameter of milling cu�ers and
enter 0.2 inches for both the Average diameter of drilled holes and the Average diameter of threaded features.

2. Press the Calculate bu�on to complete the Quick es�mate. Click the Stock process entry on the Process chart and note that
the total cost result is $45.59.
3. Click the Machining opera�ons entry on the Process chart. Click the Display machine proper�es checkbox. Note that a Haas
SL-10 CNC lathe has been automa�cally chosen to turn this part and to mill, drill, and tap the secondary features. All default
proper�es of this machine have been taken from the so�ware’s machine library.

Open a completed analysis �ile

1. Open the completed analysis file by selec�ng Open from the File menu. In the Open dialog, open the cylinder.dfmx file that
is installed in \data\samples. There is no need to save the Quick es�mate created during this tutorial.
2. In the cylinder.dfmx file, there are two analysis tabs. The first tab, Quick es�mate, contains the Quick es�mate you will have
created during this tutorial. The second tab, Full analysis, contains a machining full analysis of the same part.
3. To compare the Quick es�mate and the Full analysis, click the Results menu and then click Cost Totals Bar Chart. Select both
analyses in the Select Analyses group box to display the cost breakdown comparison graph shown below.

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DFMA® DFM Concurrent Costing
4. Note that the material cost es�mate for the Full analysis and the Quick es�mate are iden�cal. This is because the method
used for es�ma�ng material cost is the same for both types of machining analyses. Also note that the Quick es�mator has
overes�mated the setup cost by 35.6% ($0.80 versus $0.59). This is because the number of different cu�ng tools required
to machine the part is not defined by the user in the Quick es�mate and is es�mated internally. Each different cu�ng tool
requires addi�onal setup �me so the comparison shows that the Quick es�mator’s es�mate of the number of different
cu�ng tools required is a bit too high for this par�cular part. Also note that the Quick es�mator has underes�mated the
Process cost by 14.6% ($8.81 versus $10.32). This is because the number of cu�ng tool movements must be es�mated
internally by the Quick es�mator. Each movement of the cu�ng tool results in addi�onal costs for non-produc�ve �me so
the comparison shows that the number of cu�ng tool movements es�mated by the quick es�mator was a bit too low for
this par�cular part. The cost of rejects is about the same for the two analyses.

5. Click the toolbar bu�on to display the cost breakdown graph as a stacked bar chart.

6. Note that the total part cost es�mated by the Full analysis is $46.9 while the Quick es�mate for the same part is $45.59.
This indicates an overall underes�mate of 2.8% in the Quick es�mate of total part cost.
Normally, the machining cost is not very sensi�ve to changes in the surface areas generated by machining opera�ons. This
means these areas can be roughly defined when comple�ng a Quick es�mate. In fact, if all the default values for these areas
were used, the Quick es�mate of part cost would be $49.26 which is only 8.05% larger than the completely defined Quick
es�mate. The par�ally defined Quick es�mate overes�mates the part cost by only 5.03% when compared with the full analysis.

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