Cost Estimation

How to calculate labour cost & material cost in Mig welding and Spot welding?

Hire an estimator.

What materials are you welding? Is it pipe? Is it plate? Is it both? How many welds per unit? Cycle time (including set up) to single unit completion (include handling time)? Automated or semiautomated or by hand? what kind of wire? What kind of currents? How much time for inspection, for preparation? Why are you asking for MiG and spot? Are you using 2 methods? Why is the sky blue? How many layers does an onion have? How did you get assigned this task?

seriously. You can hire a consultant on a one time fee to help. If you can not estimate your own costs you probably are not going to be able to see some of the opportunities to automate or cut costs. If a good consultant is brought in he/she/they should be able to help with the process from front door to back. Of course there are considerations here (re. hiring a consultant) to be considered.

If you are a very small shop or are bound by certain regs or codes due to the product or processes used your consult needs to be familiar with these.

There is an entire body of work to be discussed here so why don't you offer up some more specifics and see how that helps with more accurate responses.

Hope this helps

cr3

Main component costs of any welding process is:

1. Direct ( type of raw materials, welding consumables, electricity, accessories used , and Labour)

2. Indirect ( overheads, Plant costs, depreciation, maintenance, operator training, technical supervision etc)

Before attempting to calculate the welding costs, it is desirable to have a clear understanding of the following factors involved in welding costs:

a. Preparation time base plate edges by gas cutting, shearing, shaping, grinding etc.,

b. Time for assembly and tack welding,

c. Time for positioning if it is auto weld, Time for welding,

d. Down time for changing jobs, re-setting,

e. Time and cost of pre heating, stress relieving–consumables & electric power used

f. Cost of Electrodes, filler wires, flux etc.,

g. Labour & overhead costs,

h. Operation Factor, which is Arc time / Total time,

i. Power cost etc.

Then,

1. Labour & overhead:

Total length welded * Labour & Over head charges per hour / cost per job Welding Speed * Operating factor

2. Welding Cons. cost :

Electrode (or) flux (or) gas used per unit length* length welded * Cosumables price

3. Power Cost :

V. I /1000 * T/60 * I /E * rate per unit.

-- Where V is voltage, I is Amps, T is time and E is is efficiency of machine.

Trust above details will help you to start with your calculations.

uhhhh. I already said that.

no you didn't

Simple way, just have someone weld a few pieces and see how long it takes...

That is a good first start to getting an estimate, especially if you have no idea as to how to estimate how long something takes.

Let me add some info ....

currently i'm at buyer end .. i've drawings with me showing no of spots / weld length etc etc ...

i've called for quotations & but before quotations comes i need to have the tentative cost with me .... need the rough but close estimate ...

Lots and lots of experience. It is a seat of the pants thing. When I had a general machine shop I never missed the floor to floor time on machining but I lost my patootie on every fab job I bid.