Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (DFMEA)

Derecktor Design uses design failure mode and effect analysis (DFMEA) to help your team understand the potential failure models of designs early in product development. 

Key DFMEA Questions 

Derecktor’s DFMEA services aims to answer these and other questions:

• What could go wrong with your design?
• How can you prevent failure in the first place?
• What are the consequences of a failure?
• How can you detect a failure, and will it be obvious?
• How do you mitigate the effects of failure on product reliability?

The DFMEA Process

DFMEA is an essential tool for proactive risk management during the design phase. It helps to improve product reliability, safety, and performance while reducing costs and delays.

The process typically involves these steps.  

• Identification of Failure Modes: This includes considering how each component or subsystem could potentially fail and what effects those failures might have on the overall system.
• Evaluation of Failure Effects: For each identified failure mode, DFMEA assesses the potential effects on the product’s performance, safety, and reliability. 
• Assigning Severity Ratings: Each failure mode is assigned a severity rating based on the potential consequences of the failure. 
• Identification of Root Causes: This helps identify design weaknesses, manufacturing defects, or other factors that could lead to failures.
• Assigning Occurrence Ratings: The team evaluates the likelihood or frequency of occurrence for each identified failure mode and assigns a rating.
• Assigning Detection Ratings: The team assesses the likelihood of detecting each failure mode before it reaches the customer or end-user. 
• Calculating Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs): This helps prioritize which failure modes should be addressed first, with higher RPNs indicating greater potential risk.
• Developing Mitigation Strategies: This may involve design changes, process improvements, additional testing, or other corrective actions.
• Implementing and Monitoring Controls: Continuous monitoring and review ensure that new failure modes are identified and addressed as the design evolves.