Ways To Reduce Production Time in Metal Fabrication Shops

Clients of metal fabricators often need their order as soon as possible. So, metal fabricators are always looking for ways to reduce production time and deliver the best product in the shortest time frame. This increases the need to crank out the maximum amount of projects. For these reasons, fabricators are always looking for ways to optimize their processes for greater efficiency to reduce lead times. Read these ways to reduce production time in metal fabrication shops for some tips on how to make your shop more efficient.

Automation

One way to dramatically reduce lead times is to use automated processes. Robotic labor works faster than most workers and can maintain a constant speed. Machines don’t need breaks like human workers and can run all night when people aren’t around. Repetitive or time-consuming processes, in particular, can be automated to speed up production times. Automation leads to fewer errors, meaning employees will need to spend less time on quality control. When you can cut down the time spent checking and re-checking procedures and outward-bound products, you will significantly reduce your overall production time.

Diverse Machinery

Automated machines that can fulfill multiple processes without unloading and re-loading into different machines for different functions are helpful for many reasons. One such machine is a fiber laser tube cutting machine. A fiber laser tube cutting machine can cut complex shapes in a tube. The system can accommodate round, square, oval, triangular, or special sections of tubes in a wide variety of materials. The machine eliminates manufacturing operations that are usually required in tube processing, such as marking out, sawing, drilling, deburring, and shaping. Mac-Tech offers a complete line of fiber laser tube cutting machines that will expand the capabilities of your shop. Contact us today to see what we can do for you.

Minimize Transitional Process

In the life of a machined part, parts need to move from one machine to another for the next stage of the process. Often, a product will have to be moved from one container to another. To avoid spending this extra time and effort, consider using a custom metal basket that can withstand every process. With this change, you will eliminate the time spent loading and unloading baskets between steps. You can also consider re-arranging equipment to shorten the time it takes to carry parts between machinery. These transitional processes may seem short, but they can add to the total time to process a piece over time.

As you can see, there are many ways to reduce production time in metal fabrication shops. Reducing the time to produce a part is essential to customer satisfaction and the return of repeat business. Often, a client will miss their production window, and time will have to be made up to account for gaining that time back. An efficiently set up shop with diverse machinery that can provide multi-functional operations is key to decreasing the production time in your shop. Don’t afraid to be creative, and start planning today.