In most metal fabrication shops, loading parts into the press brake machine is done by hand, and this manual loading can become a significant cost factor. So how does DigiFabster handle that cost?
With this simple matrix: "press brake loading time".
To function correctly, two more parameters are needed: Operator rate per hour
and material density
How it works:
In most companies, there are limits to what weights employees are allowed to carry before they have to ask for assistance or use lifting tools, usually somewhere around 20 kilos.
So when 20 kilos is set, as in the example above, when a part is under 20 kilos, one operator is needed, once the part is over that, two should be engaged. The handling itself is set at a fixed time, say one minute, for every bend in the workpiece.
So if the part is 19 kilos, each bend will "cost" 1 minute, if the part is 21 kilos, that will be 2 * 1 = 2 minutes.
A similar rule often applies for very long pieces, even though they might be narrow and thin and thus light. In the example above, the threshold for asking assistance is a length of 1 meter.
If a part is both heavy and long, then whichever calculation generates the highest amount of minutes is applied.
Example: a part weighs 21 kilos and is 2.5 meters long.
By weight 2 people are needed, by length 3, so 3*1 minutes are calculated, (not 5).
3*1 minutes of operator time cost (25/60)*3 euro, so 1.25 euros.