Abstract
The purpose of the research conducted is to describe the consequences of variation in the welding industry and the effect it has on manufacturing productivity. The potential has shown to be hidden in unnecessarily stringent requirements and over-processing. This has been studied in steps: customer requirements, design and analysis, preparation, welding, and assessment. The effect of variation in each step has been analyzed including estimations of its productivity improvement potential. Theoretically, in a perfect situation, with customized requirements and eliminated variation, more than half of all welding could be removed. Such a reduction is certainly neither practical nor possible. However, a sensible, controlled reduction could still have a very high impact. The financial implications are therefore substantial. The improved productivity of the manufacturing resources could be used for business development and increased production. To be able to realize the potential, interdisciplinary efforts are necessary. Management across different functions need to agree on the intended product life and make decisions thereafter.
Highlights
The objective of this research is to highlight the consequences of variation in the welding industry and the effect it has on manufacturing cost
The research conducted relates to gas metal arc welded structures with a majority of fillet welds with a throat thickness of at least 5 mm
Variation is present in each process step, and in total the accumulated variation has a vast influence on the total manufacturing cost
Summary
The objective of this research is to highlight the consequences of variation in the welding industry and the effect it has on manufacturing cost. Weld quality is a relative measure on a better-or-worse scale based on the visual weld appearance, to a large extent lacking clear definitions [1]. This in itself induces uncertainty in design, welding, and quality control, creating unnecessary costs [2]. The traditional welding procedures and acceptance limits for a weld have evolved mainly based on the weld quality expected from a skilled welder [14] This is considered as good workmanship, and the focus is on observed, physical characteristics of the weld, rather than the real effects on structural integrity [6]. One standard applies to fitness for purpose, but it is used for nuclear power plants and is not widespread [15]
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