Additive Manufacturing worked example

Powder Refresh Rate at 22% required refresh rate: a worked example

Suppose required refresh rate falls to 22%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Calculate new-powder refresh percentage in a powder bed blend and compare it with a target refresh rate.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Virgin powder added: 18 kg (held at the documented default)
  • Total powder blend: 60 kg (held at the documented default)
  • Required refresh rate: 22 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 30)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Powder refresh rate = virgin powder added รท total powder blend.
  • Actual refresh rate works out to 30 % at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Gap to target works out to -8 points at these inputs.
  • Virgin powder added works out to 18 kg at these inputs.
  • Total powder blend works out to 60 kg at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where required refresh rate sits at 30% and the headline result is 30 %, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 30 %.
  • It divides virgin powder added by total powder blend to give the actual refresh rate, then subtracts that from your required rate to show the gap in percentage points. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Actual refresh rate: 30 % (headline result)
  • Gap to target: -8 points
  • Virgin powder added: 18 kg
  • Total powder blend: 60 kg

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Powder Refresh Rate calculator, set required refresh rate to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.