Finishing worked example

Time at Temperature at 7.2% cure safety allowance: a worked example

This worked example runs the time at temperature numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 7.2% cure safety allowance instead of the typical 10%. Estimate time at cure temperature from required heat exposure, process rate, and allowance.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Required time at metal temperature: 120 min (held at the documented default)
  • Achieved metal heating rate: 12 °F per min (held at the documented default)
  • Cure safety allowance: 7.2 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 10)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Base time = required amount ÷ process rate.
  • Adjusted run time works out to 10.72 min at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Base run time works out to 10 min at these inputs.
  • Allowance applied works out to 7.2 % at these inputs.
  • Process rate works out to 12 pieces / min at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where cure safety allowance sits at 10% and the headline result is 11 min, this scenario comes in 2.55% below the baseline at 10.72 min.
  • Use it to validate a cure recipe against the powder's time-at-temperature spec or when a line change alters heating rate. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Adjusted run time: 10.72 min (headline result)
  • Base run time: 10 min
  • Allowance applied: 7.2 %
  • Process rate: 12 pieces / min

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Time at Temperature calculator, set cure safety allowance to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.