Composites, Fiberglass & Advanced Materials worked example

Autoclave Cycle Cost at 110% share of cycle chargeable to this job: a worked example

Push share of cycle chargeable to this job up to 110% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. costing autoclave cure cycles by batch or part family

The inputs for this scenario

  • Autoclave cycle hours run for this job: 14 cycle hr (unchanged)
  • Fully-burdened autoclave operating rate: 360 $ / cycle hr (unchanged)
  • Share of cycle chargeable to this job: 110 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 100)
  • Fixed setup, tooling load, and quality cost: 950 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Variable autoclave cycle cost = autoclave cycle hours or part slots × autoclave operating cost × cycle cost scope included) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 6,494 $ for total autoclave cycle cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 464 $ / piece for autoclave cycle cost per part or job.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5,544 $ for variable autoclave cycle cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 950 $ for fixed autoclave setup and quality cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where share of cycle chargeable to this job sits at 100% and the headline result is 5,990 $, this scenario comes in 8.41% above the baseline at 6,494 $.
  • It computes the total cost of an autoclave cure cycle by multiplying cycle hours by the burdened hourly rate and adding fixed per-load setup and quality cost. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • total autoclave cycle cost: 6,494 $ (headline result)
  • autoclave cycle cost per part or job: 464 $ / piece
  • variable autoclave cycle cost: 5,544 $
  • fixed autoclave setup and quality cost: 950 $

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.