Case Study – Why stamping part numbers on add-on parts is the superior strategy

WHY STAMPING PART NUMBERS ON ADD-ON PARTS IS THE SUPERIOR STRATEGY

Has your business ever had a client audit your workshop and ask you to find add-on part number XYZ and then record how long it takes the business to locate this part? What about when a boilermaker/fitter requires an add-on part from a stack of fittings that have not been sorted; how much time is wasted locating these add-on parts? If you want to find a needle in the haystack you need a strong magnet!

SMS has a full range of structural steel add-on part processing machines. These include CNC add-on part plasma cutting with drilling and punching or CNC flat bar punch and shear machines. Both machines from France identify add-on parts using a stamping wheel for the following reasons:

1. Every part can be stamped effectively and efficiently compared to laser/plasma scribing or pneumatic marking. Compare the time studies!
2. Many parts are supplied to a fabricator with 1 in 10 parts marked. The fabricator as part of the QA/QC process is required to identify every part prior to fabrication that requires hundreds of man-hours per year.
3. Parts that have been stamped can be read after
   • Processing on an automatic de-burring or edge rounding machine
   • Shot blasting before fabrication
   • Painting
   • Galvanising
4. There are limited running costs for stamping add-on parts automatically compared to the gas, power or cutting consumables required for plasma or laser scribing
5. Plasma scribing to be effective requires a 30amp torch consumables so a torch needs to be changed from the 160/260/400 amp cutting torch
6. Plasma/laser scribing is too slow as the whole bridge needs to move for every character
7. Plasma/laser users don’t want to slow the tonnage capacity that can be processed per shift to mark add-on parts so marking is generally performed manually
   • Parts are often dirty & wet from the plasma & drilling process so the drilling fluid needs to be removed from each part so the paint marking stays on the part.
   • Galvanising companies are only accepting parts marked with a water-based marking pen that react well with the galvanizing process.