Composites, Fiberglass & Advanced Materials worked example

Laminate Thickness at 66% layup station uptime: a worked example

This worked example runs the laminate thickness numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 66% layup station uptime instead of the typical 92%. Estimate good laminate thickness output capability for plies, cores, or panel builds.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Laminate thickness added per build cycle: 0.13 in / cycle (held at the documented default)
  • Planned laminate build cycles: 48 cycles (held at the documented default)
  • Layup station uptime: 66 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 92)
  • Laminate first-pass yield: 96 % (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Gross laminate thickness = laminate thickness added per build cycle × planned laminate build cycles.
  • good laminate thickness works out to 3.8 in at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • gross laminate thickness works out to 6 in at these inputs.
  • laminate thickness lost to downtime works out to 2.04 in at these inputs.
  • laminate thickness lost to scrap or rework works out to 0.16 in at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where layup station uptime sits at 92% and the headline result is 5.3 in, this scenario comes in 28.26% below the baseline at 3.8 in.
  • Use it during layup planning or capacity reviews when you need to know whether a planned number of plies or build cycles will deliver the required cured thickness after real-world losses. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • good laminate thickness: 3.8 in (headline result)
  • gross laminate thickness: 6 in
  • laminate thickness lost to downtime: 2.04 in
  • laminate thickness lost to scrap or rework: 0.16 in

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Laminate Thickness calculator, set layup station uptime to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.