TECHNICAL SHEETS

Example Of Cost Calculation In Welding

ReasonsforDeterminingWeldingCosts

Knowingwhichfactorsaffectweldingcostscanenableacompanytofocusitsenergiesonchangesthatwill
reducecosts,leadingthebusinesstoimproveitscompetitiveness.

ThreeBasicApproaches
Weldingcostscanbeestimatedusingoneofthreeapproaches:

Costperunitthemostaccuratemethod
Costperlengthappropriateforsinglepasslongwelds
Costperweighteasiestcostestimatingmethod,regardlessoftheweldingprocess.

ExampleofCostPerUnitMethod

Aweldedassemblyismadeinadiscreteweldingcell.The
total cycle time for the part is 2 min. 45 sec. Five welds are
madeonthepart:two2,45cmlongfilletwelds,twoplugwelds
and one 7,62 cm long square edge groove weld. MIG/MAG is
usedforallthewelds,usingthesameweldprocedure:0,9mm
E70S3electrode;7,62m/minwirefeedspeed;75%Ar/25%CO2
shieldinggas;1m3/hourgasflowrate.
Theshieldingtimeis20seceachforthetwofilletwelds,8sec
each for the two plug welds and 18 sec for the groove weld.
Totalarcontimeis74sec.theremainderoftheweldingcycle
timeinvolvesremovalofthepartsfromthebin,cleaningoilof
the parts, fixturing the pieces, manipulating the fixture,
removing the part, cleaning off spatter, visually inspecting the
Fig.1 Assemblymovingthroughaworkcell
weldsandstackingtheweldedcomponentsontoarack.

L&O*/unit=(weldingrelatedtime/unit)x(L&Orate)
=(2.75min)x(1hr/60min)x(30/hr)
=1,375/piece

Fillermetalcost/unit=(wirefedspeed)x(weldingtime)x(wt.ofelectrode/m)x(electrodecost/Kg)
=(7,62m/min)x(74sec)x(1min/60sec)x(0,0042Kg/m)x(3/Kg)
=0,1184/piece

Shieldinggascost/piece=(flowrate)x(weldingtime)x(gascost/m3)
=(1m3/hr)x(74sec)x(1hr/3600sec)x(3/m3)
=0,062/piece

Cost/Unit=(L&O/unit)+(fillermetal+shieldingmaterialcost/unit)
=1,556/unit

*Laborandoverhead

EWF/IAB WWW.EWF.BE COPYRIGHT 2007 INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TECNICO

TECHNICAL SHEETS

ExampleofCostPerLengthMethod
Abridgegirderisbeingfabricatedusing8mmfilletweldsfortheweb
toflange connection, as well as the stiffenertoweb connections. The
girderis40mlong,and5,5mdeep.Stiffenersareplacedevery3m.An
operatingfactorof40%isassumed.AllweldswillbemadewithSAW,
using the following parameters: 2 mm EM13K electrode; F7A2 Flux,
with a 1,5:1 ratio of flux to electrode; 5m/min wire feed speed; and
0,254m/mintravelspeed.
L&Ocost/length=(L&Orate)/{(travelspeed)x(operatingfactor)}
=(30/hr)x(1hr/60min)/{(0,254m/min.)x(0.40)}=5/m

Fillermetalcost/length={(wirefeedspeed)x(wt.ofelectrode/m)x
(costofelectrode/Kg)}/(travelspeed)={(5m/min)x(0,0201Kg/m)x
(2,53/Kg)}/(0,254m/min)=1/m
Fig.2Longsinglepassfilletwelds

Shieldingcost/length(flux)=(wt.ofweldmetal/length)x(ratiooffluxtoweldmetal)x(costofflux/Kg)=
(0,36Kg/m)x(1,5)x(1.7/Kg)=0,918/m

Cost/length=(L&Ocost/length)+(fillermetalandshieldingcost/length)=5/m+1/m+0,918/m=6,918/m

This girder has four webtoflange welds that are 40m long, and 24 stiffeners (12 on each side). With two 5,5m
stiffenertoweb welds, there are a total of (4 x 40) + (24 x 2 x 5,5) or 424 m of weld on each girder. The cost of
makingthe8mmfilletweldsisestimatedthereforeat424x6,918or2933,2.

ExampleofCostPerWeightMethod
In a weld overlay application, a 0,03m layer is to be applied to a
0,035m diameter roll that is 1,22 m long. Two 2 mm diameter
electrodesaretobeusedinaparallelelectrodeconfiguration,with
the following welding parameters: 200 ipm (per electrode);
14,50Kg/hr deposit. The buildup requires a volume of metal that
canbeestimatedasfollows:(finalvolume)(initialvolume)=1.26
m2.Forsteel,thiswouldequateto256.73kgofwelddeposit.
L&OCost/Kg=(L&Orate)/{(depositionrate)x(operatingfactor)}
={(29/hr)/(14,5Kg/hr)x40%}=5/Kg
Filler metal cost/Kg = (cost of filler metal/Kg) / (electrode
efficiency)=1,15/Kgx100%=1,15/Kg

Fig.3 Rollrequiringsignificantquantityofmetal

Shieldingcost/Kg(flux)=(costofflux/Kg)x(ratiooffluxtofillermetal)=0,9x1,5=1,35/Kg
Cost/Kg=(L&Ocost/Kg.)+(fillermetalandshieldingcost/Kg)=5/Kg+1.15/Kg+1.35/Kg=7.5/Kg
For256.73kgofbuildup,thecostwouldbe:1925.5perroll

CONCLUSION
Determining the cost of welding is critical as manufacturers struggle to remain competitive in a global economy.
Simplifiedcalculationsmakethistaskeasier,althoughthesimplificationtakesitsrisks.
More information at http://www.weldingmag.com
EWF/IAB WWW.EWF.BE COPYRIGHT 2007 INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TECNICO