4 Tips to Help You Save Money on Your Next Welding Project

If you’re working with a tight budget for your fabrication project, you’re probably looking for ways to trim your metal welding costs. There’s a good chance your current fabrication partner isn’t doing what they can to optimize the welding process and help you reduce your expenses without sacrificing the product’s quality. The product’s structure and safety rely on the welds’ strength, so any defects will incur expensive costs for your business.

Still, there are ways you could explore to minimize your project costs without compromising the result. That way, you get your money’s worth while receiving a product you’re proud to show to your client. Here are four tips to help you trim down your welding costs:

Remove Unnecessary Welds

It is crucial to work with a contractor you can trust, as they can identify ways to alter the product design to trim off any unnecessary welds. For example, you could remove decorative elements or lift handles and modify the design to provide less expensive but just as valuable ways to achieve these functions, like cutting out lifting slots. Ask your welder about the unnecessary welds they can take off from the design, as doing so will save you tons of time and money.

Optimize the Other Processes

Many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) use welding contractors for much more than the welding services they provide, depending on them to supply material and fabrications in the process. OEMs usually request specialty welding, machining, and painting services to be classified as one project.

Looking at other processes and optimizing them may help you save on welding costs. For instance, your project may require a small part that needs post-weld machining. If the supplier creates the component on a smaller, more affordable machine before welding, it may incur fewer costs. Still, it must be pre-machined to ensure that it compensates for how the welding will distort that specific part.

Understand the Welding Process

Welding is a delicate combination of art and science. Heating a metal causes it to change shape, so your supplier must control the distortion with precision to ensure the finished product comes out as expected. That is why it is crucial to work with a trusted supplier, as some might assemble components incorrectly even though they know that the welding process will modify certain features. If you familiarize yourself with the nuances of the welding process, you can keep an eye out for shortcuts your supplier might take or any mistakes they fail to correct before they weld. That way, you’ll receive higher-quality products with fewer defects.

Reduce Welding Equipment Downtime

Wasting time costs money not only for you but your fabrication partner as well since it takes away opportunities that could have given them additional business. To save as much time as possible, a welding contractor must reduce the downtime on their welding equipment and use the right filler metal packages. It would also help to schedule downtime for machine maintenance to prevent issues from occurring during production.

The welding supplier must use filler metal packages that are sizeable enough to minimize wire changeovers, but the packages must not have extra wires that cannot be used up within a few days. Once someone opens the package, the filler metal starts absorbing moisture from the air and contaminants like oil and dust, which will harm the welding process. For this reason, your fabrication must be dedicated to scheduling machine downtime, as it will prevent equipment failure, ensure faster production, and produce higher-quality parts.

Conclusion

You may feel hesitant about lowering your welding costs since it might affect the overall quality of your project. However, it is possible to achieve a high-quality project with a lower budget if you work with a trusted machine shop and follow these tips.

Rost Machining & Fabrication is the premier provider of machining, fabrication, finishing, custom laser cutting, and welding services in the South Bay. We’ve served various industries from automotive to aerospace to robotics, delivering the results you need for your project. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you!