Adhesives, Sealants & Industrial Bonding worked example

Surface Prep Workload at 40% masking and dry-time allowance: a worked example

What does the result look like when masking and dry-time allowance reaches 40%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. a process engineer needs to schedule cleaning, abrasion, or activation before bonding

The inputs for this scenario

  • Surfaces needing prep: 320 surfaces (unchanged)
  • Surface prep throughput: 2.4 surfaces/min (unchanged)
  • Masking/dry-time allowance: 40 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 35)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Base surface prep time = surfaces needing prep รท surface prep throughput) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 187 hr for surface prep workload, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 133 hr for base surface prep time.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 40 % for prep allowance applied.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2.4 surfaces/min for surface prep throughput.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where masking and dry-time allowance sits at 35% and the headline result is 180 hr, this scenario comes in 3.7% above the baseline at 187 hr.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when masking and dry-time allowance is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. The allowance is a flat percentage uplift, so it does not model long fixed primer cure cycles or parallel masking that overlaps prep on separate stations.

Results at a glance

  • Surface prep workload: 187 hr (headline result)
  • Base surface prep time: 133 hr
  • Prep allowance applied: 40 %
  • Surface prep throughput: 2.4 surfaces/min

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Surface Prep Workload calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.