Additive Manufacturing worked example

Heat Treatment Batch Cost with furnace connected load of 9 kW: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop furnace connected load to 9 kW, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate additive heat-treatment energy cost per batch and per part from furnace load, cycle time, power rate, and parts processed.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Furnace connected load: 9 kW (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 18)
  • Heat-treatment cycle time: 6 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Energy rate: 0.14 $ / kWh (held at the documented default)
  • Parts in heat-treat batch: 80 parts (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Energy used = connected load × cycle time.
  • Heat-treatment energy cost works out to 7.56 $ / batch at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Energy used works out to 54 kWh at these inputs.
  • Energy cost per part works out to 0.09 $ / part at these inputs.
  • Furnace hourly energy cost works out to 1.26 $ / hr at these inputs.

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 50% below the baseline at 7.56 $ / batch.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to furnace connected load, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. 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: 7.56 $ / batch (headline result)
  • Energy used: 54 kWh
  • Energy cost per part: 0.09 $ / part
  • Furnace hourly energy cost: 1.26 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Heat Treatment Batch Cost calculator, set furnace connected load to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.