Letter 26054

Manufacturing process and related costs pertaining to 3"x3" Zinc T-Plate [Canada] 

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Hello,

I am a student at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. For a project, we have been assigned the task of reverse engineering any object of our choice. I have chosen a 3"x3" Zinc T-plate. The specifications of this T-plate I am unaware. I bought it at a local harware store for $CAN 1.69. The requirements include figuring out the manufacturing process of the object. From this, we are to determing the cost of making 10 000 of these parts. Information is needed, such as: amount of man hours required (and pay) machine operation time (and cost of this) cost of raw materials.

Now, flexibility is not a problem. As I mentioned, the specifics are unknown (I have been reading some perplexing letters on this site regarding all the different variables regarding Zinc plating and such), but accurate specifics are not needed. Mere possible attributes of this $CAN 1.69 part are needed, and the costs calculated accordingly.

Thank you for your time.

Andrew P [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
University Student - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The T-plate is not made of zinc, Andrew, it's made of hot rolled steel and then zinc plated.

So, you could measure the thickness and then get from a steel supply house the cost of a coil of steel. Their handbook may give you some indication of manufacturing methods. Then you figure out how you could align T-shaped cookie cutters to minimize the waste in cutting T-shapes from a coil of flatstock. You'll obviously see some waste from the trimmings, and when you shear the T-plates you'll experience the same loss.

The cost of plating depends on a lot of different factors, but these shapes would probably be barrel plated per our article on barrel plating. Weight is only one factor determining plating costs, and a minor factor at that, but guess at $.50 US per pound and your answer will not be ludicrous.

Due to environmental regulations and globalization, factories are virtually never vertically integrated anymore. That is, nobody goes from iron ore to packaged components. Consequently I think it is perfectly valid to assume that your factory is but one step in this process, and all other costs can be estimated from outside sources rather than you having to know the finest details of every manufacturing step. For example, assume that you are the stamping house and just determine the steps and the costs of stamping, then use "catalog" costs for the price of the coil and the price of the plating. Good luck.

 
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com Inc. - Brick, NJ

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