DFA
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Design for assembly |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Science & Engineering, Sports |
DFA has two meanings. It stands for Design for assembly (engineering) or Designated for assignment (baseball).
Meanings of DFA at a glance
| # | DFA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Design for assembly | Science & Engineering › Engineering |
| 2 | Designated for assignment | Sports › Baseball |
1. Design for assembly
Science & Engineering · Engineering Abbreviations
Design approach aimed at reducing assembly time and cost, mainly by cutting the number of separate parts, standardizing fasteners, making parts symmetric or obviously asymmetric, and allowing assembly from one direction. Snap-fits often replace screws.
Example: After the DFA study, the housing went from 14 parts and 8 screws to 5 parts with snap-fits.
Geoffrey Boothroyd and Peter Dewhurst developed systematic DFA methods in the late 1970s and 1980s, combined with DFM as DFMA. Each part is questioned: does it move, need a different material or need to be separate for service? If not, it is a candidate for elimination.
2. Designated for assignment
Sports · Baseball Abbreviations
Roster move that immediately removes a player from a team's 40-man roster, giving the club a few days to trade him, release him or send him outright to the minors after he clears waivers.
Example: The Cubs DFA'd the veteran reliever to make room for their top prospect.
Used as a verb ("he was DFA'd"). A player with enough service time can refuse an outright assignment and become a free agent while still being owed his salary. The move often signals the end of a player's time with a club.
Related abbreviations
More engineering abbreviations
- CNC – Computer numerical control
- COP – Coefficient of performance
- CTE – Coefficient of thermal expansion
- DCS – Distributed control system
- DFM – Design for manufacturing
- ECN – Engineering change notice
- ECO – Engineering change order
- EIT – Engineer in Training
See all 79 engineering abbreviations →