weld calculator

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 02-03-2015 19:48

Businesses live and die on estimates !

I don't think there is any snap-fit calculator that will promise correct bidding.

I think the best treatment of weld cost estimation was done by Blodgett and is published in the "Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding" by the James F. Lincoln Foundation.

Here is part 1 of a two part article by Dr. Duane K. Miller that is very informative.
http://weldingdesign.com/processes/news/wdf_10760

.

By welderbrent (*****)

Date 02-03-2015 20:19 Edited 02-03-2015 20:23

Great article Lawrence. Answers the questions that get asked in here a lot.

But, one must always consider that what you bid on a job is not what I would bid on the same job. For example, I have a large trackhoe and you have a small landscape tractor with a backhoe attachment. The person who needs a ditch dug cannot reasonably call both of us and ask our hourly rates. The trackhoe operator is going to charge considerably more per hour but will finish the job in far less time.

People need to know how to ask the right questions and get bids, or at least estimates, on the finished product/project.

The same with welding. It will make a difference in my hourly rates if my shop is union or not. New fancy equipment or older low tech equipment. The kinds of licenses I have. The geographic location as to rent and taxes (of all kinds). And so many other factors.

One also cannot bid every job the same. Smaller jobs are hard to bid on a price per weight basis. Whereas larger jobs are quickly and accurately bid like that.

Also, each person must review their own situation to make sure they use the right percentages to calculate into the various parts of the bid. I know shops that have put timing meters on the welding machines. It was amazing how little time some of the welders spent active per shift. On jobs that needed very little handling. Just get the hood down and get it done. It was also interesting which shift produced more in both time and lbs of weld but still got the verbal bashing from management all the time for being the one that didn't get things done. It would help when comparing this item if the shifts had an equal number of welders. Some management types just can't seem to calculate for different numbers of producers.

It also makes a difference upon if the OP in this thread is actually just wanting to calculate the welding or the entire job cost. Some people use the terms interchangeably.

Now, the article covers some of what I just said but just thought I would put it in different terminology.

Just my two tin pennies worth.

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day, Brent

By ssbn727 (*****)

Date 02-03-2015 20:52

Here you go... Note this program application has a demo version that's limited to fillet welds only... The person that developed this is well known in here so it's good to go.

http://www.mruczekweldingengineering.citymax.com/home.html

Here's another one that Excel based by Neal Chapman of Sterling Weld Data Systems:

http://weldcostexpress.com/home

Here's a Weld Metal cost Calculator from ESAB:

http://www.esabna.com/us/en/support/tools/calculators/weldmetalcostcalculator.cfm

This article is from the magazine Welding Design & Fabrication and is written by Duane K. Miller, Sc. D., P. E., Lincoln Electric Company... It's a two part article and it goes in depth regarding weld cost calculating, and I suggest that you read it to get a better insight:

http://weldingdesign.com/processes/news/wdf_10760

Here's part two:

http://weldingdesign.com/archive/determining-cost-welding-part-2

As you can see, there are other articles related to costs, so if you're interested, you may want to take a look...

How to calculate Total Labor & Material Cost per Pound of Deposited Weld Metal - Welding Cost Formula:

http://www.postle.com/welding_cost_formula_for_differe.htm

Here's a Smart phone Application that's called Welding Pro welding cost calculator that's designed to work on your I phone or Android version of a smart phone... It's a Dutch company so there may be some language issues to squared away prior to understanding exactly what you may be purchasing. Here's the link:

http://www.ceweld.com/en/content/welding-pro-welding-cost-calculator

http://www.certilas.nl/nl/content/calculaties-0

This is from SSAB: WeldCalc is an interactive welding technology tool designed specifically for use with Weldox, Domex and Hardox or combinations of different materials and thicknesses. Here's WeldCalc 2.1:

http://www.ssab.com/en/Products--Services/Service--Support/Technical-Tools-and-films/WeldCalc-20/

Here's another one from ESAB and it's called: Weld Metal Cost Worksheet and here are the instructions on how to use it:

http://www.esabna.com/euweb/fm_handbook/577fm8_6.htm

Costimator can help solve your cost estimating challenges... Here's the link to request their free trial:

http://www.mtisystems.com/request-info1.html

Here's the GMAW Cost Model:

http://www.mtisystems.com/costmodels/Welding-Mig.php

And here are some free downloads:

http://www.mtisystems.com/free-downloads/index.html

Here's another Weld cost calculator from ESAB:

http://www.esab.com.co/us/en/support/WeldMetalCostCalculator.cfm

This is from Georgia Tech and it's a power point presentation in a .pdf:

http://www-old.me.gatech.edu/jonathan.colton/me4210/arccosts.pdf

Here's an interesting article from The Welding Advisors:

http://www.welding-advisers.com/Welding-cost.html

Finally, this is from the AWS:

http://www.aws.org/mwf/attachments/54/75254/Weld_Cost_Calc_XL1.3.2mm.pdf

Well, that's it for me because I got to go take a nap or else mu face will become one with my keyboard and I'm trying to avoid that from happening again. :eek:

Respectfully,
Henry

By Jarhead1 (**)

Date 02-03-2015 22:52

Thank You Very Much Henry - Lot's of good reading....

Is there a rule of thumb for inches per/min when quoting MIG welds. Manufacture quote....
I have always used 8-10" per/min (straight weld)

By kcd616

Date 02-05-2015 06:07

well, Lawrence quoted the welding bible, the lincoln handbook (hi lar)
my very good friend Henry brought an excellent wall of links :cool:

(hope the new year is going good my friend)
and Brent is so correct (hi brent)
everything on a table or calculator, has everything going right
in real life it never goes that way, something is going fubar
to do costs in real life takes years to learn
and you can still get it wrong :eek:

and it costs for that education
and the cost is time and $
but it gives you experience, the best teacher
hope this helps
sincerely,
Kent

By johanthegreat Date 10-10-2019 14:19 Edited 05-01-2020 09:42

I can recommend the ESAB Quick Weld Productivity Analyzer

https://tiberg.com/esab-qwpa/

The QWPA is an easy-to-use calculator for total weld cost analysis of your welding production. This tool can help you see the cost impact of different aspects of your production, including increasing deposition rate and arc time/operating factors

https://tiberg.com/esab-qwpa/