Avoid Scrap
Any laser cutting, metal stamping or other manufacturing process creates metal scrap. Excess material is part of the process, but there are steps you can take to limit the amount of waste material in your manufacturing process. Work with Degele Manufacturing to identify common causes of scrap generation and implement ways to avoid generated excess scrap.
Common Causes of Scrap in Manufacturing
You need to understand where metal scrap is coming from before you can work out ways to reduce it. In most manufacturing processes, scrap can be created through these basic ways:
- Human error
- Operational issues
- Imperfections in raw materials
Human error can include dropping fragile components, mis-aligning work pieces or failing to notice signs of equipment failure. These errors can be caused by improper training or failure to automate repetitive tasks.
Operational issues include failure to maintain equipment, issues with machinery precision and poor designs. Any combination of these issues can increase the amount of order mistakes, wasted time and wasted material.
Finally, the material you use can affect the amount of scrap generation in your process. If you’re using a low-quality sheet of alloy, then it’s likely that some pieces will be rejected due to material quality.
Why You Should Avoid Scrap Generation
Metal scrap is lost time and money. Even if you recycle excess material, creating large amounts of excess material and rejected components cuts into your manufacturing efficiency. Your team will spend more time manufacturing less components, which leads to greater tooling and machine maintenance needs. Increase your profits and accelerate your manufacturing speed by avoiding scrap generation.
How To Avoid Excess Scrap
At Degele Manufacturing, we take reducing scrap metal seriously. When you work with us through one step of the manufacturing process or as a full-service manufacturing partner, we implement these strategies to cut down on scrap material generation.
Invest in High-Quality Materials
Reduced material imperfections means reduced order mistakes. The amount of work pieces saved may make up for the added cost of high-quality material.
Improve Your Design
Even the highest quality of materials can’t help you avoid metal scrap due to design inefficiencies. Work with our design team to review your design. You may be able to use different equipment for more precise cuts, which allows you to create more components out of a single piece of material.
Work With Highly Trained Technicians
Human error can’t be completely removed, but it can be reduced with improved employee training. A highly trained manufacturing team can enjoy lower risks of mishandling or other manufacturing errors.
Automate Manufacturing Steps
Automation is a common way to reduce or eliminate the risk of human error. An automated process can avoid metal scrap associated with human error. Not every manufacturing process can be automated, so work with an industry-leading manufacturer to discuss your automation options.
Invest in High-Quality Manufacturing Tools
Choose the right tool for the job to create precise components with minimal waste. The right tool combines three key considerations to avoid metal scrap:
- Optimal tool for the particular process
- High-quality tool with tight tolerances
- Well-maintained tool to avoid mechanical inefficiencies
If you don’t have the optimal machining tools in your facility, work with our team at Degele Manufacturing to gain access to state-of-the-art tool and die equipment.
Find Ways To Recycle Scrap
Some material scrap can be reused or recycled. Because a small amount of scrap is inevitable, it’s important to find out whether you can reuse or recycle your raw material. Reuse the materials in your own production facility or find another facility that can recycle waste materials for a cost-effective and environmentally conscious manufacturing process.