Additive Manufacturing worked example

Heat Treatment Batch Cost with furnace connected load of 45 kW: a worked example

What does the result look like when furnace connected load reaches 45 kW? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. a post-processing engineer or estimator needs furnace energy cost for an additive batch

The inputs for this scenario

  • Furnace connected load: 45 kW (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 18)
  • Heat-treatment cycle time: 6 hr (unchanged)
  • Energy rate: 0.14 $ / kWh (unchanged)
  • Parts in heat-treat batch: 80 parts (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Energy used = connected load × cycle time) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 37.8 $ / batch for heat-treatment energy cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 270 kWh for energy used.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.47 $ / part for energy cost per part.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 6.3 $ / hr for furnace hourly energy cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where furnace connected load sits at 18 kW and the headline result is 15.12 $ / batch, this scenario comes in 150% above the baseline at 37.8 $ / batch.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when furnace connected load is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It covers connected-load electrical energy only and excludes labor, fixturing, inert-gas consumption, furnace duty-cycle ramp-down, and amortized capital, so true fully-loaded cost is higher.

Results at a glance

  • Heat-treatment energy cost: 37.8 $ / batch (headline result)
  • Energy used: 270 kWh
  • Energy cost per part: 0.47 $ / part
  • Furnace hourly energy cost: 6.3 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Heat Treatment Batch Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.