1.How can procurement be controlled from the source?
Utilizing negative thickness tolerances: This is the most direct and cost-effective method. Steel coils are allowed negative thickness deviations at the factory (e.g., a nominal thickness of 1.0mm may actually be only 0.98mm). While ensuring product strength and safety, purchasing according to negative tolerances allows for the production of longer products from the same weight of steel coils, thus improving meter utilization.
Optimizing master coil width: This minimizes the huge waste of "cutting large pieces into small pieces." Based on the width of commonly used finished products, work backwards to calculate the most economical master coil width, reducing edge wire loss during slitting. If master coils that directly match an integer multiple of the finished product width can be purchased, the utilization rate will be highest.
2.How to optimize layout in the design phase?
Nested layout: For parts requiring stamping or cutting, professional nesting software (such as FastCAM, Radan, etc.) is used to "nest" parts of different shapes on the steel plate, making full use of scrap materials like a jigsaw puzzle.
Standardized design: During the product design phase, the specifications and dimensions of parts are standardized as much as possible, making them integer multiples of commonly used steel coil widths (such as 1000mm, 1219mm, 1250mm, etc.) to reduce scrap materials caused by size mismatches.
3.How can the processing technology be improved?
Reduce process waste:
Optimize edge allowance: During slitting, minimize the cutting edge width (edge width) while ensuring cut quality (e.g., reduce from 8mm to 5mm, depending on equipment and material thickness).
Minimize head and tail shearing: Utilize a welding machine to connect front and rear rolls for continuous production, significantly reducing the irregular head and tail portions that must be removed during traditional single-roll processing.
Improve equipment accuracy: Regularly calibrate equipment to reduce scrap rates caused by inaccurate positioning or processing errors.
4.How can the digitalization and informatization of management be optimized?
Introducing a MES system: The manufacturing execution system monitors the consumption, finished product output, and scrap status of each coil in real time. If any batch experiences abnormal losses, the process can be traced and adjusted immediately.
Establishing a surplus material database: Information on leftover sheet ends from each processing operation is entered into the system. When small orders arrive, matching surplus materials are prioritized for utilization from the database, preventing long-term stockpiling and eventual scrap.
Precise nesting algorithm: Digital software precisely calculates how to cut large coils into narrow strips or single sheets of different sizes, maximizing the utilization of the main coil.
5.What are some real-world examples?
Many steel processing centers have achieved overall material utilization rates of over 99% by optimizing the aforementioned processes.
In high-precision stamping fields such as automobile manufacturing, near-100% material utilization rates can be achieved through the use of laser-welded plates or continuous galvanizing lines.