Cost Calculation

Abstract

SSAB Oxelösund is a member of the SSAB Svenskt Stål AB Group and is the biggest Nordic manufacturer of heavy steel plate. SSAB Oxelösund's main products are the hardened wear plate HARDOX and the high strength structural plate WELDOX. The most common processes that are used to cut the steel are the thermal processes oxyfuel, laser and plasma as well as the non-thermal process abrasive water jet. Cutting HARDOX using one of the thermal processes can result in edge cracking. In addition, if a thermal process is used to cut small parts, the hardness of the steel is affected. Therefore, SSAB wishes to have a computer based calculation application that would provide guidance regarding how to best cut SSAB's different steels, in particular HARDOX. It was found that the main features that users wanted in this application were to be able calculate the cost of a cutting job, to be able to compare the costs of oxyfuel cutting with and without preheating and to see when abrasive water jet cutting is a viable option. It was also found that it is possible to calculate the costs involved in the different cutting processes quite accurately. However, to calculate the costs involved in preheating before cutting with oxyfuel it is recommended to develop a more complex calculation model. The recommendation is for SSAB to continue developing an application to help its customers calculate their cutting costs. It is also to use the application to influence customers to use cutting methods and cutting speeds that does not produce edge cracking. This would benefit both SSAB and its customers as it makes SSAB seem knowledgeable about the problems that the customers face and also help the customers to be more productive. 2