In the first lesson of Chapter 3, Jake breaks down what Design for Manufacturing (DFM) means and how it guides smarter design decisions. DFM acts as a checklist to help you move from digital ideas to real-world parts.

He starts with efficiency, simplifying designs to reduce extra setups and steps in fabrication. Then he explains manufacturability, a reminder that not everything you can model in CAD can actually be made. Sometimes you need to break complex designs into separate pieces to make them buildable.

Finally, Jake covers cost effectiveness, showing how material choice and tight tolerances can quickly drive up expenses. The lesson ends by connecting it all: materials and machines define what’s possible. Aluminum can be laser cut, while carbon fiber needs a CNC router or waterjet. Understanding these limitations helps you design parts that can actually be produced.

What You’ll Learn:

• What Design for Manufacturing (DFM) means and why it’s essential
• How efficiency in design reduces setup time and simplifies production
• The difference between what can be modeled in CAD and what can actually be manufactured
• How material choice and tolerance impact overall cost
• Why materials dictate machine processes and influence your design decisions
• How DFM principles connect design intent to real-world manufacturing