Overview

Costing of Joining Methods -

• Cost components
Arc Welding Costs • Estimation of costs
• Examples
ver. 1

ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 1 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 2
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

Cost Components Materials Costs

• Electrodes
• Materials – Some electrode sticks contain flux
• Labor – Amount of electrode times electrode cost
• Overhead per unit weight gives electrode cost
• Fluxes / Shielding gases
– Quantity of flux and/or shielding gas
required times unit costs gives flux/gas
cost

ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 3 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 4
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

Material Costs Labor

• Direct time of welding

• Other consumables
– time to produce a length of weld
– may include cost of electricity, if not in
overhead – labor rate
– rags, files, blades, chisels…. – multiplication gives labor cost per length
• Set-up time, etc.
• Personal time

ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 5 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 6
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

1
 Overhead Rate Deposition Efficiency

• Not all electrode is deposited as weld

• Usually a percentage of direct labor rate
– lost as splatter, vaporization
• Ranges from 50 - 400%
– “stub ends” left
• Stick-electrode welding - 65%
• Self-shielded, flux-cored welding - 82%
• Arc welding with shielding gas - 92%
• Submerged arc welding - 100%

ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 7 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 8
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

Operator Efficiency Manual Operator Efficiency

• Welding time • 10 - 45%

• Personal time – 65% is extreme of human achievement
• Set-up time • Personal breaks
• Electrode changing time • Set-up
• Slag chipping time (for subsequent • Change position
passes) • Change electrodes
– poor weld quality increases time • De-slagging
ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 9 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 10
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

Semi-automatic Efficiency Automatic Efficiency

• 25 - 60% • Over 90%

• no need to change electrodes – if small set-up time, de-slagging time
– wire used
• higher currents, speeds
• some processes require no de-slagging

ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 11 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 12
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

2
 Cost Components Materials Cost/ Length (CM)
• CM = (WE)(CE)+(WF)(CF)+(VG)(CG)
• Cost of electrode/length of weld
=(WE)(CE) • WE = weight of electrode
• Cost of flux/length of weld • CE = cost of electrode ($/wt)
=(WF)(CF) • WF = weight of flux
• Cost of gas/length of weld • CF = cost of flux ($/wt)
=(VG)(CG) • VG = volume of gas
• CG = cost of gas ($/vol)

ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 13 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 14
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

Labor Cost (CL) Labor Cost (CL)

• Alternatively,
• CL = (t) (CR) / (OF) • t = 1/S
– S = speed of weld
• t = time / length of weld
• CR = cost of labor + overhead ($/time) • CL = (CR) / S (OF)
• OF = operating factor (efficiency)
n 1 1 1
• note S= t= + + ... +
1 1 S1 S 2 Sn
+ + ...
S1 S 2

ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 15 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 16
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

Metal Deposition vs. Labor Cost Estimated Cost of Consumables

gas = 25-45 ft3/hr, solid flux = wt of deposited metal, 1973 prices

Process Type of Electrode Deposition Cost of

Electrode Cost ($/lb) Efficiency Deposited
(%) Metal
$/lb $/ft
Shielded E7024 0.191 65 0.29 0.045
metal arc
Self-shielded, E70T-G 0.315 82 0.38 0.059
flux-cored
Submerged EL12 0.199 + flux 100 0.34 0.053
arc
Gas metal-arc E70S-3 0.243 + flux 92 0.31 0.048
1 1
Labor cost $/ ft of weld
ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 17 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 18
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

3
 Estimated Costs Trade-off Example

• 1/4” fillet weld, 3/32” E7024 electrode,

• All about 5¢/ft. 85 ft/hr, operating factor 30%, labor +
overhead $7/hr
• CL = (CR)/S(OF)
• CL=(7)/85(0.3) = $0.275/ft

• Can you increase efficiency somehow?

– 40% -> $0.206/ft

ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 19 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 20
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

Comparative Costs Costs of Various Processes

(relative for guidance)
Factor E8018 Electrode and 9000C-1 Wire and
Manual Welding Semi-automatic
Welding Process Arc speed Operating Labor and Weld Cost
Labor and overhead rate (CL) $20/hr $20/hr (ft/hr) Factor Overhead ($/hr) ($/ft)
Deposition rate (D) 3.11 lb/hr 5 lb/hr Shielded metal- 85 0.3 7 0.274
Operating factor (OF) 0.3 0.45 arc
Cost of labor and overhead to $21.43/lb of weld $8.88/lb of weld Shielded metal- 85 0.4 7 0.206
deposit weld arc
Electrode cost (CE) $0.667/lb $1.019/lb Gas metal-arc 80 0.5 7 0.175
Deposition efficiency (DE) 0.68 0.78 semi-automatic
Cost of deposited metal $0.98/lb $1.31/lb Self-shielded 100 0.5 7 0.140
3
Shielding gas flow rate (VG) none 40 ft /hr flux-cored, semi-
Cost of shielding gas (CG) $0.72/lb dep. metal auto
Cost of welding $22.41/lb dep. metal $10.91/lb dep. metal Submerged arc 110 0.5 7 0.127
semi-auto
• Labor cost seriously offsets cheap stick cost

ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 21 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 22
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

Weld Comparison for Mild Steel

Weld Comparison Example
• 1/4” diameter, manual metal-arc electrode
with solid flux attached, 320 A (a)
• Deposition rate 6.25 lb/arc-hr (b)
a b c
• Weld required 0.6 lb of weld metal/ft (c)
d
• Welding speed 2 in/min (5.75 arc-
f e minutes/ft) (d)
• Operating factor 20% (e)
• Time is 28.75 minutes/ft, labor cost at
$8/hr is $3.83/ft of weld (f)
ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 23 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 24
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

4
 Other Issues Summary

• Calculations show what can happen, if • Costs of arc welding can be calculated
you have the correct equipment. • Calculations give you guidance on:
• Other costs – process selection
– depreciation, taxes, etc. – operating condition targets

ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 25 ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 26
Prof. J.S. Colton Prof. J.S. Colton

ME 6222: Manufacturing Processes and Systems 27

Prof. J.S. Colton