Productivity in Welding

COST CALCULATION PROGRAM

FOR PRODUCTIVITY IN WELDING
 COST CALCULATION PROGRAM

Costs and productivity

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, every firm should set itself two main objectives:
recover productivity and reduction of costs.
This program allows costs calculation and welding times on the basis of incorporated operating
economic parameters, and also can make comparisons with a different solutions by simulating
the use of a different process, for example changing from manual electrode welding to a process
using continuous solid or cored wire so as to reach a strategic decision as to the performance
of the current situation, or the need to change. Increased deposition speed allows large cost
reductions and time savings to be achieved, as can be easily checked by means of the program.
It is even possible to assess the impact on costs reduction and increased productivity following
the introduction of automatic, automated and/or robot stations taking into account cost and
time of the new investment too. In this case, the winning factor is the increase in intermittency,
i.e. the time during which the welding arc is at work compared to the total welding time, which
translates into an increase in productivity.
If we look at the total costs of an industrial welded product (figure 1), with a large approximation
we can see that the composition of costs is as follows :
• design and engineering, approx. 5%;
• raw materials, approx. 35%
• labour, approx. 43%
• general services, approx. 10%
• depreciation, approx. 5%
• welding consumables, approx. 2%

It is immediately clear that a saving on the Cost of a welded product

pure cost of the welding consumables
does not significantly influence the total Design &
Depreciations Engineering
cost of the final component. For example, 5% 5% General services
a saving of 10% on the acquisition price of 10%
a welding product, means a reduction of
0,1% in the total cost. Cost of
labour
Raw materials
It is instead just as obvious what the area 43% 35%
of achievable improvement may be acting
on the variable which more than any
other impacts upon the forming of cost:
a reduction of 10% in the cost of labour Welding consumables
allows 5% of total cost to be saved. 2%

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PRODUCTIVITY IN WELDING

Just the fact of adopting a semiautomatic wire process instead of using the electrodes – to go
back to the above example – often allows a significant reduction in costs per metre of welding.
At the same time, and irrespective of cost, a reduction in welding times is achieved and that
means increased productivity.
The issue connected to productivity is perhaps the most important. It is therefore of fundamental
importance to clarify better this issue.
Achieving savings in welding costs is certainly a positive feature, but as can be seen from
the diagram shown above, any impact on the total cost of the artefact is going to be of small
significance in the overall economy of the firm. Not only, sometimes more expensive unit cost
of the new brought in material – above all in situations where the cost of labour is especially low
as it is in less industrialised countries – could result in greater cost per meter of welding and
discourage the potential user to change to a new welding process/welding consumable.

This could be a great mistake

Indeed, even in this situation, the adoption of a process with a greater speed of deposition,
together with improvement in intermittency, will always generate a reduction in times per metre
of welding which is worth 20-30% or more.

This means an equal increase in productivity!

In other words, at the end of the working shift, users find they have 20-30% or more welded
product. What this is worth and what the value is of the greater profit linked to this increase in
volume, is down to the assessment by the users themselves, but it will certainly be in excess of
any worsening of welding costs. If then, these too have been reduced, so much the better!

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 COST CALCULATION PROGRAM

Areas of improvement
The first question users must ask is: “Are we using the fastest welding process suited to the
work we do?” The fundamental factors that have a bearing on cost and productivity are:
- Deposition rate (kg/h) of the brought in material.
- Intermittency in the welding process used.
As regards the brought in material, in the diagrams shown in the following pages typical values
of deposition rates are indicated for various products:. Increasing the deposition rate speed, a
corresponding reduction in welding cost are achieved, indicatively as follows
- Manual electrode welding MMA
- Welding with solid wire MIG/MAG
- Welding with cored wire FCAW
- Welding with submerged arc SAW
As regards as of the welding processes, every increase in intermittency generates a reduction
in welding cost, indicatively as follows:
- Manual electrode welding
- Semi automatic or automatic welding with solid or cored wire
- Automatic welding with submerged arc
- Automated and/or robot welding processes
A shining example of synergy in the factors shown above, coming from the market itself, was
the change of route taken by industry over the last decades, and is still going on, that made
great use of manual electrode welding, in favour of cored wire which was the only alternative
that could meet the need as to quality, flexibility and capabilities offered by the electrode. In
this case, the greater speed of deposition rate and the change from a manual process to a
semiautomatic one with improvements in intermittency, brought enormous savings in costs
and productivities increases , even considering the more expensive unit cost of cored wire
as compared with the electrode, and even bearing the investments needed in wire welding
equipment.

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PRODUCTIVITY IN WELDING

Some explanatory notes concerning proper use

of the program.
The program runs normally on all PCs with a Windows operating system
A printer must be connected to the computer.
Installation: the program can be used directly from the CD-ROM or copied to hard disk, thus
creating a folder in a directory chosen by the user so as to execute more quickly. Memory
occupation is minimal. To remove the program, just take out the CD-ROM or cancel the folder
set up on the hard disk with all its contents.

As first operation, type in a comment (name, type of joint, date etc.) that will later appear on
the printout.
The procedure is fully guided so we do not need to go into the modes of operation.
It is important however to give certain information as to the selection of parameters, so that the
final result will be reliable.
1.0) In phase one, the program requests a series of economic and financial data as well as
operating variables, so as to calculate the cost of welding per time unit ( /hour).
The data requested are:
1.1) Type of material to be welded – Choose from the options offered. In the event of
material not in memory, its specific weight can be forced in (kg/dm3)
1.2) Welding process – Choose from the options offered.
1.3) Flux efficiency – This concerns only the so-called high recovery fluxes, i.e. those that
have been enhanced with iron powder and where there is an increased output. In all other
cases, if normal agglomerate or pre-fused fluxes are used, input 100
1.4) Consumption Kg/flux per Kg/wire or Ratio (Kg Flux/Kgwire):
If the data are known: input these.
If they are not known, find the manufacturer’s indications or in any event keep the following
table in mind:
Approximate values for submerged arc welding:
Fused fluxes: 1.1 – 1.4 Kg./per Kg. wire
Agglomerate fluxes: 0.6 – 0.9 Kg./per Kg. wire
High recovery fluxes: 1.4 – 1.7 Kg./per Kg. wire
Approximate values for welding in protective atmosphere:
Solid wire/C02: 0.3 – 0.4 m3/Kg
Solid wire/mixture: 0.25 – 0.50 m3/Kg
Cored wire/C02: 0.20 – 0.25 m3/Kg
Cored wire/mixture: 0.2 - 0.3 m3/Kg
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 COST CALCULATION PROGRAM

1.5) There is an option between CO2 (commercially sold at /Kg) and Argon mix or pure Argon
(commercially sold at /m3).
1.6) Consumable name
Insert as brief description, or the AWS Classification
If an ESAB product is chosen, the more usual ones appear listed on the screen.
In this case just digit the relative no. (in the event of change in type – remember to clean
the line and go back with the cursor!).
1.7) Deposition rate
This means the theoretical amount of metal deposited, i.e. at 100% of intermittency.
In other words they are the Kgs that would be deposited if it were possible to weld
uninterruptedly, without detaching the arc, for one hour. If there are values known in the
workshop; use these. Otherwise, ask the supplier (see too, the attached diagrams). These
values are influenced essentially by the intensity of current and it is therefore necessary to
take the applicable parameters concerning welding type be performed and the welding
position into account too (which does not always allow the productivity of the electrode
used to be exploited to the maximum).
1.8) Net efficiency
Indicates as a percentage the quantity of metal actually deposited (e.g. 67 means that
one Kg of consumable materials deposit 67% of its weight in weld).
For various products in the ESAB catalogue these values are indicated.

In other cases:
Coated electrodes: I = 350 mm.: 63% approx.
Coated electrodes: I = 450 mm.: 68% approx.
MAG wire: 95%
METALCORED Cored wire: 95% approx.
Rutili-basic cored wire: 85% - 90%
Submerged Arc Welding: 98% approx.

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PRODUCTIVITY IN WELDING

1.9) Technical data

Deposition rate in function of weldig current

Electrodes for manual welding - Mild steels
KG/hour

10

8
D

7
0
33.8
OK

5 C

4
B

3 D
OK 48.60
C OK 43.39
OK 43.32
A OK 48.50
OK 33.80
2
B
A
1

100 200 300 400 500

AMPERE

A = DIA. 3,25 x 450

B = DIA. 4 x 450
C = DIA. 5 x 450
D = DIA. 6 x 450

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 COST CALCULATION PROGRAM

Deposition rate in function of weldig current

Electrodes for manual welding - Stainless steels

D
4
OK 61.30
KG/hour

C
3

B
2

100 200 300

A = DIA. 2,50
B = DIA. 3,25
C = DIA. 4
D = DIA. 5

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PRODUCTIVITY IN WELDING

Deposition rate in function of weldig current

MIG/MAG wires

8
KG/hour

6
1.6
7
1.2
5

1
4
0,8
3

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
AMPERE

Submerged Arc wires

16
KG/hour

14
7
3.9 .76
12 4
7
3.1
6
10 5.5
8
2.3
8 8
1.9
1.6
6

0
0 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
AMPERE

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 COST CALCULATION PROGRAM

OK Tubrod 15.00 (Basic)

10

8
1,2

6
KG/hour

STICK-OUT

4 15 - 20 mm

100 200 300 400 500

AMPERE

OK Tubrod 14.12 (Metalcored)

10

1,2
8

6
KG/hour

STICK-OUT

4 1,20 mm - 15/20 mm

100 200 300 400 500

AMPERE

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PRODUCTIVITY IN WELDING

OK E71T-1 (Rutile) OK Tubrod 15.14 (Rutile)

10

6
1.
6
KG/hour

2
1.

STICK-OUT

1,20 mm - 20 mm
4 1,60 mm - 20 mm

100 200 300 400 500

AMPERE

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 COST CALCULATION PROGRAM

1.10) Wage + overheads

It is about the hourly gross compensation cost of labour, as assessed by the Client
1.11) Working hours per year
Average value: 1650/ p.a.
In any case, this varies from client to client: input the value, if known.
1.12) Duty cycle
Means the actual time of lit arc, in percentage: i.e. the part of the time when the operator
or the machine is actually welding, compared to the total time. It is almost always an
(unpleasant) surprise for the Client who has never performed a proper investigation, to
discover the actual extent of intermittency. In any event, if the values are known and
certain; use these. Otherwise, with the aid of common sense, estimate from the following
values:
- Manual electrode welding: 20 - 30%
- Wire welding MIG-MAG, cored wire - semiautomatic: 30 - 45%
- Submerged arc welding: 40 - 60%
- Wire welding MIG-MAG and cored wire - robot 50 - 80%
1.13) Work under inspection
Usually, welding is always subject to a number of checks that may be solely visual or
more specific.
Reply to the question, inserting the part of the weld to be tested or inspected in percentage
(usually 100%)
1.14) Rejection
This is to be understood as being flaws to be repaired.
Defects must be repaired and mean extra time and work.
Approximate values for defectiveness are:
MMA Welding 3-5%
Semiautomatic welding MIG-MAG 5-7%
Cored wire welding 3-5%
Submerged arc welding 1-3%
Welding with cored wire,
self-protected type 5-7%
1.15) Ratio (prepare h/repair h)
A welding flaw is normally discovered subsequently to the completion of the welding.
Repair requires first of all transport of the pieces, gouging or grinding, checking
that the flaw has disappeared, welding repair, checking and transport back to the
line. These auxiliary times can be significant. The following approximate values,
to be understood as being a ratio (extra hours for preparation per hours of repair)
MMA Welding 2-6
Semiautomatic welding MIG-MAG 2-6
Completely automated welding 6-10

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PRODUCTIVITY IN WELDING

1.16) Investment cost

This is the cost of the welding equipment. If auxiliary equipment is also used (positioners
etc.) the related cost needs to be added.
If needed, the cost of specific Training for a particular person, or the cost of re-qualification
for a welding process, may be deemed to be an investment and must therefore be
added.
1.17) Interest
Apply the rate of interest that the Client habitually applies in calculating depreciation: in
brief, the cost of money.
1.18) Depreciation time
Some companies apply 3 years, other 5 at the most.
2.0) In phase two, the program requests the variables in respect of the type of joint to be
welded and its dimensions, so as to calculate the cost of the weld per metre. Bear
in mind when making the comparison between the different processes, the possibility
that the dimensions of the welding joint (for example core wires, by virtue of their better
penetration, might allow the joint configuration, to be reduced).

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 COST CALCULATION PROGRAM

2.1) Types of joint

Different types of typical joints are set out, as attached:

DOUBLE U GROOVE JOINT

UPPER ANGLE

DEPTH OF FUSION

GAP
GAP S
DIU
RA
US ER
I W ROOT THICKNESS
AD LO
R
P ER LOWER CHANFER
UP HEIGHT

LOWER ANGLE
Note : for single U joint reply 0 to the questions “Lower radius.” - “lower angle” - “lower joint : height”.

X GROOVE JOINT (WITH OR WITHOUT ROOT)

UPPER ANGLE
DEPTH OF FUSION

ROOT

THICKNESS

LOWER
CHAMFER
GAP HEIGHT

LOWER ANGLE

Note: K Joint

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PRODUCTIVITY IN WELDING

V GROOVE JOINT (WITH OR WITHOUT ROOT

REINFORCEMENT ANGLE

THICKNESS
ROOT

GAP

Note: Fillet weld joint (where angle =90°, thickness = throat, Root = 0)
T) T
EN EN
ES EM
PR RC
(IF FO

90
N

°
EI
R

TH

GAP (IF PRESENT)

R
O
AT

BUTT JOINT (WITH OR WITHOUT GAP)

REINFORCEMENT

THICKNESS

GAP

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 COST CALCULATION PROGRAM

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PRODUCTIVITY IN WELDING

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 COMEX-T-02k-0307

Esab Saldatura SpA

Via Mattei, 24 - 20010 Mesero - MI - Italy
Tel. +39 02 979681 - Fax +39 02 97289300
http://www.esab.it
e-mail: esab.saldatura@esab.se