Machine Vision & Industrial Inspection AI worked example

Inspection Escape Cost at 50% inspection attribution share: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop inspection attribution share to 50%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate the monthly cost of defects that escape a machine vision or manual inspection process and reach the customer, including warranty, field return, and investigation costs.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Escaped defects reaching customers per month: 18 defects / month (held at the documented default)
  • Fully loaded cost per escaped defect: 95 $ / defect (held at the documented default)
  • Inspection attribution share: 50 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 70)
  • Fixed monthly investigation and CAPA cost: 1,400 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Variable escape cost = escaped defects x cost per defect x inspection attribution share.
  • Total monthly inspection escape cost works out to 2,255 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Escape cost per escaped defect works out to 125 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Variable inspection escape cost works out to 855 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed monthly investigation cost works out to 1,400 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where inspection attribution share sits at 70% and the headline result is 2,597 $, this scenario comes in 13.17% below the baseline at 2,255 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to inspection attribution share, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It uses a single average cost per escaped defect and one attribution share, so a few catastrophic escapes (recalls, safety events) can dwarf the modeled figure.

Results at a glance

  • Total monthly inspection escape cost: 2,255 $ (headline result)
  • Escape cost per escaped defect: 125 $ / piece
  • Variable inspection escape cost: 855 $
  • Fixed monthly investigation cost: 1,400 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Inspection Escape Cost calculator, set inspection attribution share to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.