Case Study – Reduce processing costs of structural steel add-on parts

REDUCE PROCESSING COSTS OF STRUCTURAL STEEL ADD-ON PARTS

Fabricators either purchase add-on parts from steel service centres or process parts in-house. Fabricators bid/win ratio and profitability improve when they can purchase or process add-on parts that are 50% more competitive than laser or plasma/drilled add-on parts. Steel service centres and fabricators are now investing in CNC punch and shear machines from SMS that will process 95% of the structural steel add-on parts so competitive advantage are received.

1. Flat bar is 10% cheaper than plate the laser/plasma machines use
2. Plasma/laser scrap per sheet is 10-15% 3. Cutting a flat bar with a guillotine is faster & cheaper than plasma/laser cutting
   • The cost of cutting all four sides of a part with laser/plasma is expensive with gas, power and time.
   • Flat bar width is specified so each end is cut with the guillotine saving time and cost
3. The cost of consumables used to process holes & slots with a laser/plasma/drill is higher than re-sharpening punch and dies.
4. No second processes to de-burr plasma/laser burr or dross on parts processed on a CNC punch and shear machine
5. Automating the out-feed on a CNC punch and shear machine to sort add-on parts re-tasks man-hours and improves the schedule to fabricate.
6. Stamping part numbers is significantly faster and more cost-effective than plasma/laser scribing or pneumatic marking on add-on parts.
   • Many businesses prefer to mark add-on parts with a paint pen as they don’t want to slow a plasma/laser machine down for part identification purposes.