Lasers, Optics & Photonics Manufacturing worked example

Coating Chamber Capacity at 99% chamber uptime: a worked example

This scenario runs the coating chamber capacity calculation on the strong side: 99% chamber uptime, with every other input held at its documented default. Use this when planning coating production schedules, deciding if you need additional chamber time or a second coating system, or confirming you can meet customer delivery dates.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Surfaces per dome load: 80 surfaces / run (unchanged)
  • Available coating runs per period: 10 runs (unchanged)
  • Chamber uptime: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 88)
  • Coating first-pass yield: 95 % (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Gross coating capacity = surfaces per dome load x available runs) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 752 surfaces for good coated surfaces (effective output), the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 800 surfaces for gross coating capacity (theoretical).
  • At this operating point the engine returns 8 surfaces for surfaces lost to chamber downtime.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 39.6 surfaces for surfaces lost to coating rejects.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where chamber uptime sits at 88% and the headline result is 669 surfaces, this scenario comes in 12.5% above the baseline at 752 surfaces.
  • Use it during capacity planning, when quoting volume coating work, or when deciding between adding chamber time and adding chambers. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Good coated surfaces (effective output): 752 surfaces (headline result)
  • Gross coating capacity (theoretical): 800 surfaces
  • Surfaces lost to chamber downtime: 8 surfaces
  • Surfaces lost to coating rejects: 39.6 surfaces

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Coating Chamber Capacity calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.