3 Ways to Save Money Using Hardened & Tempered Strip Steel

March 13, 2013 -

Blue Blade Steel recognizes that now more than ever with costs increasing domestically as manufacturers compete in a global market our customers need to save on their bottom line. Increasing efficiencies, reducing costs of goods, and eliminating downstream operations are three aspects of the manufacturing process that are critical when considering how to compete in a global economy.

Upgrade to Your Payoff System

Did you know that one single oscillate coil can combine up to 6 flat coils?  How long does each coil change take in your operation?  In a typical stamping process each coil changeover can disrupt production for anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour or more.  Consider now that with an upgrade to your payoff system coupled with a weld detection system you can run up to 6 flat coils without a single change-over.  Blue Blade Steel has a great deal of experience in such upgrades and we welcome the opportunity to consult with your team to explore how to employ oscillate-friendly systems into you're your production process.  Most of our customers are immediately concerned with the costs of such upgrades, but with recently extended government grant programs like the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), the government may share in the cost of these upgrades if you qualify.

Tighten the Gauge Tolerance

We charge by the pound, your customers buy per piece; why not reduce the weight of the parts you stamp?  Tightening tolerances on your strip steel parts can result in significant cost savings over the course of a year, often without increasing the upstream costs.  With an eye on your bottom line Blue Blade Steel typically aims for thickness tolerances that are tighter than industry standards.  Ask your sales associate at Blue Blade Steel if we can tighten the gauge tolerance on the strip steel we supply.

Eliminate Costly Batch Heat-Treating

Finally, we know you have heard it before, but for those stamping annealed material, using pre-tempered strip steel eliminates costly batch heat-treating operations.  Post-stamping operations including packaging, sorting, and assembly can be costly, but those costs can be exponential when interrupted by the effort of sending the stamped parts out for batch heat-treatment.  Because they use pre-tempered steel, many of our customers can employ sorting and packaging systems directly to their presses which means less handling and shorter lead times to your customers and less freight costs.