In the world of steel fabrication and engineering, precision is paramount. One small measurement error can lead to costly repercussions. All it needs is a lapse in attention or a small error and you’ve got a piece of steel that’s 100mm too short.
What if there was a way to eliminate those frustrating gaps in your work, save time, and enhance safety?
Many people are turning to electronic length stops, game-changers for smaller end-user fabricators and supervisors in the metal industry. If you're wondering "Should I invest in a length stop?", you've come to the right place.
Note: a length stop may not suit every application (i.e. if you are cutting steel under 200mm thick).
The problem
If you're in a smaller end-user fabricator role or a supervisor in an industry like fabrication, engineering, or steel supplies, you probably have some frustrations.
Do you hate wasted metal, or those inevitable gaps that require extra welding? You’re not alone. These mistakes not only eat up time, but they also incur additional costs. Welding to fill in the gaps is an expensive, slow, and unnecessary activity. Spending time cutting a large piece of metal that ends up being useless isn’t cheap. You’re not just paying for the steel; you’re paying for the man hours.
Rest assured there is a way to fix this.
Improving accuracy
One of the top things you need to know about length stops is that first and foremost, they’re going to improve your accuracy.
Consider this. You're about to cut a length of expensive steel, and there's no room for mistakes. But relying solely on a human reading a tape measure leaves far too much margin for error. Granted, you might be experienced, but that doesn’t mean your eyes won’t play tricks on you. With a length stop, you can simply move it to the correct length using the digital readout and butt the metal up against it.
That "100mm trick" will be a thing of the past.
Time is money
Time is money and knowing you can rely on something to do the job correctly saves time. “Measure twice, cut once” might be alright for on-site jobs, but you need accuracy and speed when you’re processing steel all day.
If you’re constantly measuring manually, a length stop can be your best friend in improving efficiency. It even outpaces a hitch feed system, especially for longer lengths. A hitch feed system clamps, moves, and unclamps repeatedly, which causes lost time during the return travel. On the other hand, powered rollers and a length stop keeps moving continuously, so you don't waste any time.
Safety
Safety should be a top priority in any workshop.
Unfortunately, we've seen individuals leaning over materials and steel packs, sometimes even climbing onto the saw to measure. These practices are not only time-consuming but also extremely dangerous. Accidents can happen, fingers can get pinched, and limbs can become jammed between metal and rollers.
It's in every employer's interest to keep their staff away from any moving parts on machinery. A length stop ensures you can measure accurately without getting harmed – it makes it easy to keep safe.
Assess your current operations
So, what can you do to improve your situation besides purchasing a length stop? Start by assessing your current practices.
Are you using manual stops or relying on a tape measure? Take a look around the saw for any miscuts or check the scrap bin for wasted materials.
Consider your work volume. Are you measuring steel enough times a day to justify a length stop?
It's also good to consider what type of automation is optimum for your processes. There are three different types of electronic length stops:
- Toggle Length Stop: manually adjusted with a switch and digital read-out.
- Dial-In Length Stop: input length and adjusts to length.
- CNC Length Stop: programmable lengths (i.e. bar nesting).
Still not sure if this is the best fit for you?
We'd recommend contacting a lean consultant. Or, you can have a chat with us, using the button below.
