| name | manufacturing-assessment |
| description | Assess spacecraft manufacturability, production planning, and fabrication trades. Use this skill for Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), make-vs-buy decisions, production rate analysis, and vertical integration trades. Trigger for "manufacturability," "DFM," "DFA," "production rate," "make or buy," "fabrication," "assembly sequence," or "vertical integration." |
Manufacturing & Producibility Assessment Skill
Read CONVENTIONS.md at the repo root before proceeding.
This skill evaluates whether a design can be built efficiently, at the required rate, and at acceptable cost. It bridges the gap between paper designs and factory floor reality — the discipline that separates companies that ship from companies that present.
Before You Begin
Ask the user (if not already known):
- Production quantity? (One-off prototype, small batch 2-10, constellation 50+, mega-constellation 1000+)
- Facility constraints? (Cleanroom class, crane capacity, chamber sizes, geographic location)
- Target production rate? (Units per month/year — this drives tooling and staffing decisions)
- Heritage processes? (Are there existing manufacturing lines or is this greenfield?)
- What design phase? (Phase A: feasibility; Phase C: detailed manufacturing planning)
Applicable Phases
- Primary: Phase B (preliminary manufacturing assessment), Phase C (detailed process planning)
- Supporting: Phase A (feasibility screening), Phase D (production execution and yield tracking)
Analysis Domains
1. Design for Manufacturing (DFM)
Evaluate whether the design can be practically fabricated:
- Material selection: Availability, lead time, machinability, weldability, outgassing compliance.
- Tolerances: Flag tolerances tighter than standard CNC capability (±0.05 mm) — each tighter step increases cost exponentially.
- Geometry: Identify features requiring 5-axis machining, EDM, or custom tooling.
- Joining methods: Welding (FSW, TIG, EB), bonding (structural adhesives), fasteners — each has mass, cost, and inspection implications.
- Additive manufacturing: Identify candidates for metal 3D printing (topology-optimized brackets, complex internal channels). Note: AM parts typically require HIP and CT inspection.
- Surface treatments: Anodizing, conversion coating, plating, painting — compatibility with thermal and outgassing requirements.
2. Design for Assembly (DFA)
Evaluate whether the design can be efficiently integrated:
- Part count: Fewer parts = fewer interfaces = fewer failure modes. Target part count reduction where possible.
- Assembly sequence: Define the order-of-build. Identify steps requiring special tooling, fixtures, or cleanroom access.
- Access: Verify that fasteners, connectors, and test points are accessible in the assembled configuration. Late discoveries here cause costly redesigns.
- Alignment: Optical, antenna, and sensor alignment requirements — drives fixture precision and verification methods.
- Cable routing: Harness routing, connector mate/de-mate cycles, EMI shielding requirements.
3. Make-vs-Buy Trade
For each major component or subsystem:
| Factor | Make (In-House) | Buy (Vendor) |
|---|
| Control | Full design authority | Specification-driven |
| Lead time | Depends on capacity | Vendor-dependent |
| Cost | High NRE, low recurring | Low NRE, higher unit cost |
| Quality | Direct oversight | Incoming inspection needed |
| IP | Retained | Shared or lost |
| Risk | Schedule risk if capacity-limited | Supply chain risk |
Decision guideline: Make mission-critical / novel items in-house. Buy commodity items (fasteners, connectors, standard electronics) from qualified vendors.
4. Production Rate Analysis
For multi-unit production:
- Takt time: Required time per unit = available production hours / required quantity.
- Bottleneck identification: Which process step has the longest cycle time? (Typically AI&T, not fabrication)
- Parallel paths: Can subassemblies be built simultaneously? Map the critical path.
- Tooling: Soft tooling (prototype, <10 units) vs. hard tooling (production, 50+ units).
- Staffing: Skilled labor requirements — technicians, inspectors, test engineers per shift.
5. Quality & Inspection
- Inspection points: Define in-process inspection (dimensional, visual, NDT) and acceptance test flow.
- Non-destructive testing: X-ray, ultrasonic, dye penetrant, CT scan — specify per joint/weld type.
- Statistical process control: For production runs, define control limits and sampling plans.
- Non-conformance: Process for material review board (MRB) disposition — use-as-is, rework, scrap.
Output Format
- Manufacturing Assessment Report (
manufacturing_report.md): DFM/DFA findings, risk items, make-vs-buy recommendations.
- Assembly Sequence: Step-by-step build plan with tooling and cleanroom requirements.
- Production Plan (if multi-unit): Takt time, bottleneck analysis, tooling requirements.
- 🟢 / 🟡 / 🔴 status: Manufacturability feasibility per subsystem.
Interface
- Reads from:
/requirements/, /analysis/structural-assessment/ (materials, geometry), /analysis/systems-engineering-assessment/ (configuration), /analysis/cost-modeling/ (production cost targets)
- Writes to:
/analysis/manufacturing-assessment/
- Consumed by:
cost-modeling (production cost inputs), ait-manager (AI&T sequence feeds from assembly sequence), systems-engineering-assessment (schedule/risk)
