Powder Metallurgy & Sintered Parts worked example

Furnace Energy Cost at 92% furnace duty-cycle load factor: a worked example in powder metallurgy & sintered parts

Push furnace duty-cycle load factor up to 92% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when furnace energy cost in powder metallurgy and sintered parts is being put through a powder metallurgy and sintered parts weighted-cost review.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Parts sintered per furnace run: 100 units (unchanged)
  • Energy cost per part: 45 $ / unit (unchanged)
  • Furnace duty-cycle load factor: 92 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 80)
  • Fixed atmosphere & startup cost: 250 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Furnace Energy Cost cost = quantity × rate × capture factor + fixed cost) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 4,390 $ for weighted cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 43.9 $ / piece for per piece value.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 4,140 $ for captured value.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 250 $ for fixed adjustment.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where furnace duty-cycle load factor sits at 80% and the headline result is 3,850 $, this scenario comes in 14.03% above the baseline at 4,390 $.
  • It computes total furnace energy cost for a sintering batch as parts x energy-rate x load factor plus a fixed atmosphere/startup charge, then divides by part count for a per-part cost. 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

  • Weighted cost: 4,390 $ (headline result)
  • Per piece value: 43.9 $ / piece
  • Captured value: 4,140 $
  • Fixed adjustment: 250 $

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.