Lasers, Optics & Photonics Manufacturing worked example

Optics Scrap Cost at 61% scrap tracking capture rate: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop scrap tracking capture rate to 61%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Calculate the total cost of scrapped optical components (lenses, prisms, windows, mirrors) by combining scrap count, average component value at point of failure, scrap capture rate, and fixed investigation or disposition cost.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Scrapped optical components this period: 18 pieces (held at the documented default)
  • Average value per scrapped component: 125 $ / piece (held at the documented default)
  • Scrap tracking capture rate: 61 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 85)
  • Fixed failure analysis and disposition cost: 300 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Tracked scrap cost = scrapped components x average value per component x capture rate.
  • Total optics scrap cost works out to 1,673 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Average scrap cost per component works out to 92.92 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Tracked scrap cost works out to 1,373 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed failure analysis cost works out to 300 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where scrap tracking capture rate sits at 85% and the headline result is 2,213 $, this scenario comes in 24.41% below the baseline at 1,673 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to scrap tracking capture rate, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. The capture rate scales the tracked value but cannot recover scrap that was never logged at all; if logging is badly broken, the true loss is higher than the tracked figure suggests.

Results at a glance

  • Total optics scrap cost: 1,673 $ (headline result)
  • Average scrap cost per component: 92.92 $ / piece
  • Tracked scrap cost: 1,373 $
  • Fixed failure analysis cost: 300 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Optics Scrap Cost calculator, set scrap tracking capture rate to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.