Due to changes in the domestic and world economies over the last few years, there is no longer the luxury of operating in old “business as usual” scenarios. In the competitive field of roll forming, cost and labor savings are paramount to efficiency and success.
Any manufacturer that is already involved in roll forming should be designing products with the forming process in mind. Careful product and process planning may make the difference in getting a completely finished part right off the line or having to do secondary operations after roll forming. In this post, we will discuss the opportunities to improve productivity and profitability by eliminating costly secondary punching operations.
Direct Labor Costs with Secondary Operations
One of the main objectives for many fabricators in turning to roll forming, besides increasing production volume, is lowering direct labor costs in the intended product. The key to just how much labor can be eliminated is in the auxiliary tooling such as the prenotch and cutoff dies.
A line that has a prenotch and a cutoff press, if there is an automatic dump table, might need three operators to run it. Two of these operators handle parts while a third operator watches the entire line and takes care of changing or the direction of changing the coils. If that same part was still roll formed and cut to length on the line but needed secondary punching, at least two additional operators and one additional press would likely be needed — and usually more labor than that.
Direct labor costs are bad enough, but other labor problems gain in magnitude the more labor involved with each product: more supervisory personnel are needed, more facilities must be provided, total fringe benefit costs rise, and absenteeism becomes a more of a problem.
Reducing Secondary Operations for Labor Savings
Space savings in this day of high cost per square foot of plant space can be substantial for metal fabricators and manufacturers. When secondary presses are eliminated, so is the need for handling space between stations, the need for press space, and the need for storage space for the parts between operations. In terms of 10- to 30-foot long parts, the additional space required for secondary operations is astronomical when compared with the space required for the roll forming line on which everything is done.
A lack of available floor space can be the reason for not producing other products or not increasing the production capacities of present products. In these cases, incorporating these operations in-line cuts back on the floor space required for secondary operations. This additional space is freed up for additional production instead.
Another benefit of eliminating secondary operations is the decreased risk of damage to prepainted or plated parts by handling. Any time a part must be shifted from one station to another, there is a risk of damage. Finally, when secondary operations are involved, scheduling of operators and machines is more complex and frustrating. However, when all operations are done in line, there are fewer scheduling problems involved..jpg?width=600&height=394&name=Roll-Forming%20(1).jpg)
Because of labor and safety costs, prenotch and cutoff dies should no longer be simply tacked onto the roll forming line without much preplanning. Total systems should be designed around what can be done with prenotching, cutoff, and measuring to increase speeds and eliminate secondary operations. Whether a fabricator decides to keep it basic or operate with computerized punching systems, considering all the available in-line tooling options should be a priority.