How do you calculate encapsulation scrap cost?

Multiply affected assemblies by cost per assembly and the encapsulation-attributed share, then add cleanup and investigation cost. For 36 assemblies at $820, 75% attributed, plus $2,200 cleanup, the total is $24,340.

Why use an attributed scrap share instead of 100%?

Not every scrapped assembly fails purely because of encapsulation — some share root cause with prior steps. The 75% share assigns only the portion fairly charged to the encapsulation process, here $22,140 of variable cost.

What does cost per affected assembly mean here?

It's the total cost divided across all affected assemblies — $24,340 over 36 units equals $676.11 each. That blends the attributed unit value with a share of the fixed cleanup and investigation cost.

What is included in cleanup and investigation cost?

Station decontamination, failure analysis, cross-sectioning, containment of suspect lots, and CAPA documentation labor. Here it's a fixed $2,200 added on top of the variable scrap value.

How do I lower encapsulation scrap cost?

Because attributed unit value ($22,140) dominates the fixed cost ($2,200) in this example, reducing the number of affected assemblies or catching defects before potting returns far more than trimming investigation hours.

Variable scrap cost vs total cost — what's the difference?

Variable scrap cost ($22,140) is the attributed value of the lost assemblies. Total cost ($24,340) adds the fixed cleanup and investigation overhead, giving the full financial impact of the event.

Implantable Electronics & Neurodevices calculator

Encapsulation Scrap Cost Calculator

Hermetic and polymer encapsulation is where high-value implantable assemblies become unrecoverable — a void, delamination, or cure defect after potting usually means the device is scrapped, not reworked. This calculator multiplies affected assemblies by their cost and the share genuinely attributable to encapsulation, then adds cleanup and investigation cost to give the true financial hit of an encapsulation event. Quality and manufacturing engineers use it to size CAPA business cases and to defend process-investment spend on parylene, epoxy, or hermetic-seal stations. Because these assemblies carry sunk component, board, and test cost, an encapsulation excursion is one of the most expensive failure modes on a neurodevice line.

What this calculator does

Estimate the cost of scrapped implantable assemblies caused by encapsulation, potting, coating, or silicone overmold defects.
Use it when process engineering or finance needs to quantify material and build loss from encapsulation defects in leads, electrodes, sensors, or modules.
It computes the total cost of an encapsulation scrap event — attributed unit value plus the cleanup and investigation overhead.

Formula used

Variable encapsulation scrap cost = affected encapsulated assemblies × cost per scrapped assembly × encapsulation-attributed scrap share
Total encapsulation scrap cost = variable encapsulation scrap cost + encapsulation cleanup and investigation cost

Inputs explained

Affected encapsulated assemblies:
Cost per scrapped assembly:
Encapsulation-attributed scrap share:
Encapsulation cleanup and investigation cost:

How to use the result

Use it when scoping a CAPA, justifying an encapsulation process improvement, or reporting cost of poor quality for a scrap excursion.
The attributed scrap share is a judgment call; if some failures share root cause with upstream steps, splitting cost cleanly between encapsulation and other processes is imperfect.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for copper and brass mill shapes stands at 559.593 (BLS, May 2026), up 76.8% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move. Global copper trades at $13,484 per tonne (IMF via FRED, May 2026).
U.S. manufacturing runs at 75.6% of capacity with new factory orders at $657B per month (Federal Reserve and Census, May 2026).
The U.S. has 11,261 computer and electronic products establishments employing about 815,443 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate encapsulation scrap cost? Multiply affected assemblies by cost per assembly and the encapsulation-attributed share, then add cleanup and investigation cost. For 36 assemblies at $820, 75% attributed, plus $2,200 cleanup, the total is $24,340.
Why use an attributed scrap share instead of 100%? Not every scrapped assembly fails purely because of encapsulation — some share root cause with prior steps. The 75% share assigns only the portion fairly charged to the encapsulation process, here $22,140 of variable cost.
What does cost per affected assembly mean here? It's the total cost divided across all affected assemblies — $24,340 over 36 units equals $676.11 each. That blends the attributed unit value with a share of the fixed cleanup and investigation cost.
What is included in cleanup and investigation cost? Station decontamination, failure analysis, cross-sectioning, containment of suspect lots, and CAPA documentation labor. Here it's a fixed $2,200 added on top of the variable scrap value.
How do I lower encapsulation scrap cost? Because attributed unit value ($22,140) dominates the fixed cost ($2,200) in this example, reducing the number of affected assemblies or catching defects before potting returns far more than trimming investigation hours.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.