Electronics Manufacturing worked example

Reflow Oven Throughput at 66% reflow line efficiency: a worked example

This worked example runs the reflow oven throughput numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 66% reflow line efficiency instead of the typical 92%. Estimate good-board reflow throughput from boards processed, oven runtime, and reflow line efficiency.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Boards through reflow: 2,600 boards (held at the documented default)
  • Reflow oven runtime: 10 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Reflow line efficiency: 66 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 92)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Observed reflow board rate = boards through reflow รท reflow oven runtime.
  • Effective reflow throughput works out to 172 boards / hr at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Observed reflow board rate works out to 260 boards / hr at these inputs.
  • Reflow line efficiency works out to 66 % at these inputs.
  • Reflow oven runtime works out to 10 hr at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where reflow line efficiency sits at 92% and the headline result is 239 boards / hr, this scenario comes in 28.26% below the baseline at 172 boards / hr.
  • Use it when capacity planning the SMT line, identifying the bottleneck stage, or validating a quoted lead time against real oven output. 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

  • Effective reflow throughput: 172 boards / hr (headline result)
  • Observed reflow board rate: 260 boards / hr
  • Reflow line efficiency: 66 %
  • Reflow oven runtime: 10 hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Reflow Oven Throughput calculator, set reflow line efficiency to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.