Composites, Fiberglass & Advanced Materials calculator
Layup Cell Capacity Calculator
Break a layup cell's planned output into gross parts, downtime losses and scrap losses, then compare the good parts with your target. Uptime and first pass yield each remove a share of the parts the cell builds.
What this calculator does
- Good parts a layup cell can deliver from parts per cycle, planned cycles, uptime and first-pass yield, judged against a target.
Formula used
- Gross parts = parts per cycle × planned layup cycles
- Parts lost to downtime = gross parts × (1 − uptime ÷ 100)
- Parts lost to scrap = gross parts × uptime ÷ 100 × (1 − first-pass yield ÷ 100)
- Good parts = gross parts − downtime losses − scrap losses
- Gap to target = target good parts − good parts
Inputs explained
- Parts per Layup Cycle: Parts the work instruction completes each layup cycle.
- Planned Layup Cycles: Layup cycles on the schedule for the period.
- Layup Cell Uptime: Logged run time divided by planned cell time.
- Layup First-Pass Yield: First pass acceptance from the layup inspection log.
- Target Good Parts: Good parts the production plan needs.
How to use the result
- Best suited to sizing a layup cell plan, showing uptime and yield losses together.
- Parts per cycle comes from the work instruction; a prototype cycle will differ. Planned cycles are the schedule, not the demonstrated maximum of the cell.
Current U.S. benchmarks
- The producer price index for plastic resins and materials stands at 280.569 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 6.6% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
- Steel mill PPI stands at 381.162 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 23.4% from a year earlier. New factory orders are up 8.5% year over year (Census).
Common questions
- How is good layup capacity different from gross output? Gross output is parts per cycle times planned cycles. Good capacity removes the share of those parts lost while the cell is down and the share rejected at first pass inspection.
- Why apply yield only to uptime hours? Parts cannot be scrapped in hours the cell did not run. Charging yield to all gross parts would double count the downtime loss, so this model charges scrap to the uptime share only.
- What uptime should a layup cell plan use? Use logged run time from the same period as the cycle plan, including ramp, layup and debulk steps. The default 88% leaves 10.8 lost parts in a 90 part gross plan.
- Which loss should be attacked first? Compare the two loss rows and take the larger. Downtime losses point at maintenance and changeover, while scrap losses point at ply placement and handling.
Related guides
Last reviewed 2026-10-01.