Pultrusion & Continuous Composite Profiles worked example

Heater Energy Cost at 58% heater duty cycle: a worked example

Suppose heater duty cycle falls to 58%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Heater Energy Cost captures what it costs to keep a pultrusion die at cure temperature while the line runs.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Line operating hours: 100 units (held at the documented default)
  • Die heater energy rate per hour: 45 $ / unit (held at the documented default)
  • Heater duty cycle: 58 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 80)
  • Startup preheat energy cost: 250 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Heater Energy Cost cost = quantity × rate × capture factor + fixed cost.
  • Weighted cost works out to 2,860 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Per piece value works out to 28.6 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Captured value works out to 2,610 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed adjustment works out to 250 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where heater duty cycle sits at 80% and the headline result is 3,850 $, this scenario comes in 25.71% below the baseline at 2,860 $.
  • It computes the total die-heating energy cost for a production window and the effective per-hour cost, weighted by how much of the time the heaters are actually drawing power. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Weighted cost: 2,860 $ (headline result)
  • Per piece value: 28.6 $ / piece
  • Captured value: 2,610 $
  • Fixed adjustment: 250 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Heater Energy Cost calculator, set heater duty cycle to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.