Setup Time (Changeover Time)
What is Setup (Changeover) Time in steel fabrication?
Setup Time is the period required to prepare a machine, process, or workstation for a new job or batch.
It includes activities like changing tooling, fixturing, adjusting settings, or doing test runs before resuming production.
For example, when switching a press brake from bending one part to another requiring different dies, the time spent swapping dies and programming the new bend sequence is setup time. In welding, changing a fixture or positioner for a different assembly is setup.
Setup time does not usually depend on the quantity being produced. It’s a fixed cost in time for that transition.
In custom fabrication, setup times can be significant relative to run times (you might spend 2 hours setting up to drill holes that take 30 minutes to actually drill). Therefore, reducing setup time is a key way to improve flexibility and throughput.
Techniques under SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) principles aim to streamline and externalize setups (do prep while the machine is running on the previous job, etc.).
Small steel shops with high product mix benefit greatly from quick changeovers – it allows smaller batch sizes and more responsiveness.
If setup times are too long, there’s pressure to run larger batches (to amortize the setup cost), which can lead to excess WIP or inventory.
By cutting setup time, a fab shop can economically produce in small lots or sequence jobs in the exact order needed.
