Design for Maintenance

Designing for maintenance is the practice of creating systems so they can be easily inspected, serviced, repaired, and replaced throughout their working life. This means using accessible layouts, standard components, clear labelling, and designs that allow faulty parts to be isolated without dismantling the entire system.

Considering maintenance during the design stage reduces downtime, improves safety, extends system lifespan, and lowers long-term costs by making routine servicing and fault-finding simpler and more reliable.

Some ways you can design for maintenance:

• Do not seal bodies shut without good reason
• Instead of glue, consider:
  • Screws
  • Snap locking mechanisms
  • Heat-set threaded inserts
• Considered wiring colours
  • There is no one true standard for DC circuits, but be consistent and document your wiring colours. It will help with troubleshooting.
• Provide simple diagnostic feedback (status LEDs, error tones, messages)
• Design the system so parts can be removed one at a time, not all at once
• Can you system make use of JST solderless connections?
• Leave space around components so tools and fingers can access them
• Label components, ports, and connectors clearly (on the system, not just in the folio)
• Avoid placing components where they will experience unnecessary heat, vibration, or moisture
• Design so wear parts (switches, motors, belts, batteries) are easy to replace
• Make test points available for multimeter probes
• Ensure firmware or code can be updated without dismantling the system
• Include a basic maintenance plan (what to check, how often, and why)
• Design so the system can fail safely if something goes wrong
• Document the system clearly with wiring diagrams, photos, and notes for future users