Design for Cleaning (DFC) is an approach to management of operations so that one seeks compromise in the part design or position within the cleaning machine to enable reduction of defects due to inadequate cleaning. In the previous column we covered examples of changing the character of structures within a part. In this column, we will cover examples of changing the position of structures within a part or of parts within a cleaning machine, and discuss if DFC is a good idea, nonsense, or common sense.

RELOCATION OF STRUCTURES WITHIN PARTS
This identification is made because a change in the character of a structure often brings more pain than does a change in its location. This can be true when the value of a part is the feature or substructure it displays. For example, a printed circuit board must contain certain circuit elements such as resistors and capacitors.

But they don’t have to be mounted immediately above or below one another. Some other approaches to relocation of part substructures for improved cleaning are described in Table 2.

Relocation of structures within a part to make the part easier or cheaper to manufacture, install, or clean may make it difficult to avoid increasing the price of the part. This author believes that is the wrong metric. The focus should be on freight on board (FOB),¹ minimization of the cost of the part as installed and working properly in the appropriate assembly.

POSITIONING PARTS WITHIN A CLEANING MACHINE
Cleaning machines work only if the process which implements them is directed toward all of the part surfaces. Basketing and fixturing are the techniques commonly-used to accomplish this. The former involves supporting the parts within the cleaning machine. The latter involves orienting the parts within the chosen supports (baskets). Some techniques for doing this are listed in Table 3.