Tank, Vessel & Pressure Equipment Fabrication worked example

Flange Bolt Count at 99% machine uptime: a worked example

What does the result look like when machine uptime reaches 99%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it when flange bolt count in tank, vessel and pressure equipment fabrication is being asked to take on more work and you need to know if there is room.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Bolt holes drilled per cycle: 4 holes / cycle (unchanged)
  • Available drilling cycles: 480 cycles (unchanged)
  • Machine uptime: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 90)
  • First-pass hole yield: 97 % (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Gross flange bolt count capacity = units per cycle × available cycles) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,844 units for good output capacity, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,920 units for gross capacity.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 19.2 units for uptime loss.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 57.02 units for yield loss.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where machine uptime sits at 90% and the headline result is 1,676 units, this scenario comes in 10% above the baseline at 1,844 units.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when machine uptime is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes steady per-cycle output and a single uptime and yield figure; tool changes, program proving, and clustered scrap can make real output lumpier than the model.

Results at a glance

  • Good output capacity: 1,844 units (headline result)
  • Gross capacity: 1,920 units
  • Uptime loss: 19.2 units
  • Yield loss: 57.02 units

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.