Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
(OP)
I've been looking around, with no success, for a published standard or at least an industry accepted standard for identifying bar stock. I worked in a two man tool and die shop in high school where the amount of bar stock we went through was so low that it could easily be tracked by simple segregation on a shelving unit. Now, I'm three months out of college and one month into my career at a job shop, where the amount of bar stock we process is quite large. There current system now is, there is no system. I was originally tasked with building a storage rack for the round bar stock coming in the door, then the project expanded from there. Now it is to reorganize/reinvent the entire bar stock storage system.
Back to my original question though...are there standards out there for marking bar stock (specifically round) with paint or marker?
Thank you for any help that is offered up. I'm so glad I found this website a month into my new job, there is a wealth of knowledge here.
Back to my original question though...are there standards out there for marking bar stock (specifically round) with paint or marker?
Thank you for any help that is offered up. I'm so glad I found this website a month into my new job, there is a wealth of knowledge here.
- JobShopEngineer





RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
Ryerson used to be the standard, at least as far as I was concerned, but as part of a demarketing campaign, they no longer give away their stocklist or tech reference. They probably wonder why nobody calls anymore...
Best answer is to use whatever color code your normal bar supplier uses, so you don't have to paint incoming bars. Your job now is to produce a nice big wall chart, and stock a bucket of paint markers right below it, and do the same thing wherever bars are cut.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
We do have a sign in the shop with the color/shape indications for the different types of steels we receive, which I asked some people about. One person responded with a self-fellating gesture, meaning it's widely ignored. Because I am slightly colorblind, as is 8% of the male population, and our shop is overwhelmingly male, I was concerned about a color system being a problem. I know for a fact that proposing a periodic color-blindness test for the employees in shipping and receiving would be out of the question.
I've given some thought to permanently marking the ends with a Dremel or scribe, but this seems very labor intensive.
I imagine I'll try to re-implement the color/shape system, as it seems like the most viable and cost effective option at this point. I'm sure the sign on the wall came from a supplier, but I don't like to ASSuME, so I'll dig deeper into that topic.
My boss actually has a couple Ryerson books and I was going to look into finding some similar reference material, but it sounds like that may be a dead end.
Thank you very much for your help, if you have any more insight to offer up still I'd greatly appreciate it.
- JobShopEngineer
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
Mention that idea in the presence of the current saw- to- length staff, and they may start marking short bars without further incentive.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
I can bring up getting the bar stock in 3' lengths when it arrives, but only being here a month sort of limits the amount of opinions I'm allowed to have to zero.
This is what I've gained out of this: There is no set standard for this sort of thing. I'm on my own. Try to use the suppliers system. God Speed.
Thanks again for your help, I greatly appreciate it.
- JobShopEngineer
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
You don't need to propose it to management.
Just mention in front of the workers and see what happens.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
The steel number/letter stamp is something I never thought of; the guy marking could run down the line real quick with something like that for the bigger stuff. I imagine anything under 1" diameter would be hard to stamp. The diameters I'm looking at fall 50/50 above and below that 1" line.
R. J. Hughes
versafab.com
New Kensington, PA, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
Don't overlook stencils and spray paint.
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
What I've been seeing with MRO companies of late in stocks of threaded rod, dowels, etc, is a laser printed polyester label that is durable enough to be somewhat shop-proof, and this is simply wrapped around the stock and adhered to itself to form a "flag" on the end of the stock.
There really is no perfect system. I suspect you'll come up with something that makes the most sense and best fits your shop need.
Ryerson color code scan attached, from my "new" (1991) stocklist. You can easily see why color coding does also not work well with smaller stock.
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
Maybe you could have a few made up with alloy and temper designations, one hit per bar instead of fumbling with a pile of alphabet and number stamps (which inevitably get lost).
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
We are a smaller shop, and I'm quickly realizing that if you can't get the guys on the floor behind your idea, it doesn't matter how great it is. It will fail.
I'll look into the printer, it seems like a relatively large start up cost and training (compared to paint or steel stamps), but I will look into it.
This identification scheme problem piggy backed in on the original problem, not having a proper storage space for the 3' bar stocks we cut when the material comes in the through the door. The 3' lengths are largely for the bar feeders in the CNC machines. The rack I'm designing will be marked with what diameter and material type goes in each pigeon hole, but I'm trying to give the floor guys as little excuse as possible when they store stuff in the wrong spot. I also want to keep from unmarked bars being laid down somewhere, forgotten for a little, then rediscovered only to find that we forgot what type of material it is.
Whatever system I implement isn't going to be perfect, but so seems the name of the game. We just need A system, because NO system is scaring me. The floor guys are pretty good about storing the material now in like-material bundles and knowing what's where, but it shouldn't be tribal knowledge. It should be blatantly clear what's what and where it's at.
R. J. Hughes
versafab.com
New Kensington, PA, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
(See attached)
This is the system we currently have, I know some of those materials aren't currently being used, and I don't know where we got this system from. ...there aren't enough hours in the day.
R. J. Hughes
versafab.com
New Kensington, PA, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
You're basically wasting money to cut long bars into short bars, not to mention increasing your cutoff waste by X7-ish over what it could be.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
R. J. Hughes
versafab.com
New Kensington, PA, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
Spray paint nozzles always clog.
Electrical tape comes in a rainbow of colors. Can be applied and torn easily, is durable, comes off easily generally without leaving residue.
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
Your accuracy and surface finishes are generally better with a shorter barfeed. It's a tradeoff between the extra sawing labor and the extra end drops, and the inherant benefits of running less mass through the spindle and holding it in place with your collet or chuck.
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
ornerynorsk, thanks for saving me some research.
I appreciate all the feedback I received from this thread, I really didn't expect this many responses.
R. J. Hughes
versafab.com
New Kensington, PA, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
R. J. Hughes
versafab.com
New Kensington, PA, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
Petrotrim Services
www.petrotrim.com
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
R. J. Hughes
versafab.com
New Kensington, PA, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
Petrotrim Services
www.petrotrim.com
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
R. J. Hughes
versafab.com
New Kensington, PA, USA
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
Petrotrim Services
www.petrotrim.com
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
RE: Standard for Identifying/Marking Bar Stock in Machine Shop
good luck