Printed Electronics & Flexible Hybrid Electronics worked example

Silver Ink Cost at 92% effective silver utilization on substrate: a worked example

Push effective silver utilization on substrate up to 92% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when silver ink cost in printed electronics and flexible hybrid electronics is being put through a printed electronics and flexible hybrid electronics weighted-cost review.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Printed pieces in the run: 100 units (unchanged)
  • Silver ink cost per piece at full coverage: 45 $ / unit (unchanged)
  • Effective silver utilization on substrate: 92 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 80)
  • Fixed setup and screen cost: 250 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Silver Ink 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 effective silver utilization on substrate 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 silver-ink run cost from quantity times per-piece cost times a utilization factor plus fixed setup, and divides by quantity to give per-piece 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 Silver Ink Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.