Lasers, Optics & Photonics Manufacturing worked example

Optical Defect Rate at 3.45% defect rate target: a worked example

Push defect rate target up to 3.45% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use this when monitoring quality on a production lot of lenses or mirrors, presenting defect trends at a quality review, or deciding whether a process change has improved surface quality.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Rejected optical components: 7 pieces (unchanged)
  • Total components inspected: 200 pieces (unchanged)
  • Defect rate target (maximum acceptable): 3.45 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 3)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Optical defect rate = rejected components / total inspected x 100) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 3.5 % for optical defect rate, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns -0.05 points for gap to defect target.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 7 count for rejected components.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 200 count for total inspected.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where defect rate target sits at 3% and the headline result is 3.5 %, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 3.5 %.
  • It computes the share of inspected optics that were rejected and the gap between that rate and your maximum acceptable defect target. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Optical defect rate: 3.5 % (headline result)
  • Gap to defect target: -0.05 points
  • Rejected components: 7 count
  • Total inspected: 200 count

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Optical Defect Rate calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.