Surgical Robotics Manufacturing worked example

Rework Cost at 92% share of subassemblies repairable: a worked example in surgical robotics manufacturing

Push share of subassemblies repairable up to 92% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. A production engineer uses this to weigh reworking a flagged batch of arm assemblies against scrapping them.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Robotic subassemblies sent to rework: 60 subassemblies (unchanged)
  • Fully-loaded rework labor cost per subassembly: 185 $/subassembly (unchanged)
  • Share of subassemblies repairable (not scrapped): 92 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 80)
  • Retest and requalification fee: 3,500 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total rework cost = subassemblies reworked x labor rate x repairable share % + retest fee) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 13,712 $ for total rework cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 229 $ / piece for rework cost per unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 10,212 $ for variable rework cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 3,500 $ for fixed rework cost adder.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where share of subassemblies repairable sits at 80% and the headline result is 12,380 $, this scenario comes in 10.76% above the baseline at 13,712 $.
  • It computes total rework cost as repairable-subassembly labor plus a fixed retest fee, and the resulting rework cost per subassembly. 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

  • Total rework cost: 13,712 $ (headline result)
  • Rework cost per unit: 229 $ / piece
  • Variable rework cost: 10,212 $
  • Fixed rework cost adder: 3,500 $

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.