Automotive Optical DFM Checklist

• Optical engineers defining system performance
• Mechanical engineers allocating tolerances and datums
• Manufacturing engineers planning mold strategy
• Systems engineers preparing for PPAP and SOP
• Tier-1 and OEM teams aligning suppliers before tooling

If your program involves injection-molded polymer optics in automotive environments, this checklist is designed for you.

System Context & Requirements

• Are performance margins defined across environment?
• Is calibration masking instability?
• Are lifetime expectations explicit?

Optically Critical Surface Identification

• Are optical and cosmetic surfaces clearly separated?
• Are replication limits understood?

Flow, Stress & Birefringence

• Is gate placement isolated from optical axes?
• Is residual stress bounded?
• Is birefringence being “assumed manageable”?

Datum & Alignment Strategy

• Are datums tied to optical function?
• Is system-level tolerance stack-up validated?
• Is post-assembly drift possible?

Manufacturing Scale & Robustness

• Is cavity-to-cavity variation addressed?
• Are Cpk targets realistic for optical features?
• Is the process window automotive-robust?

Validation & Verification

• Is optical validation included—not just dimensional?
• Is testing performed across temperature and time?
• Are failure modes explicitly tested?

Built-In Risk Signals

This is not just a checklist. It flags:

• Designs dependent on calibration
• Materials chosen for “clarity” alone
• Mechanical datums chosen for convenience
• Room-temperature-only validation
• Prototype success assumed to scale linearly

It also includes a risk scoring summary to determine:

• Low risk
• Moderate risk (feasibility advised)
• High risk (feasibility required)

Before tooling: manageable
After PPAP: expensive
After SOP: potentially catastrophic

The cost of a short feasibility review is negligible compared to discovering optical failure during production ramp.

This checklist helps you decide whether your program is truly ready — or whether escalation is required.

• 12-page engineering readiness tool checklist
• Structured design-review framework
• Red flag decision gates
• Escalation criteria before tooling lock

Use it in your next design review.