Plating, Anodizing & Surface Treatment worked example

Tank Capacity at 99% expected line uptime: a worked example

Push expected line uptime up to 99% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when tank capacity in plating, anodizing and surface treatment is being asked to take on more work and you need to know if there is room.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Racks finished per plating cycle: 4 units / cycle (unchanged)
  • Available plating cycles in the period: 480 cycles (unchanged)
  • Expected line uptime: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 90)
  • Expected first-pass finish yield: 97 % (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Gross tank capacity = tank capacity output per cycle × available tank capacity cycles) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,844 units for good tank capacity, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,920 units for gross tank capacity.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 19.2 units for tank capacity downtime loss.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 57.02 units for tank capacity yield loss.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where expected line uptime sits at 90% and the headline result is 1,676 units, this scenario comes in 10% above the baseline at 1,844 units.
  • It computes good (sellable) tank output by discounting gross cycle capacity for line uptime and first-pass finish yield, and breaks out the units lost to each. 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

  • Good tank capacity: 1,844 units (headline result)
  • Gross tank capacity: 1,920 units
  • Tank capacity downtime loss: 19.2 units
  • Tank capacity yield loss: 57.02 units

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.