Thermoforming & Vacuum Formed Products worked example

Vacuum Pump Capacity at 99% vacuum system uptime: a worked example in thermoforming & vacuum formed products

Push vacuum system uptime up to 99% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when vacuum pump capacity in thermoforming and vacuum formed products is being asked to take on more work and you need to know if there is room.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Parts formed per vacuum cycle: 4 units / cycle (unchanged)
  • Available forming cycles per shift: 480 cycles (unchanged)
  • Vacuum system uptime: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 90)
  • First-pass forming yield: 97 % (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Gross vacuum pump capacity 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 vacuum system uptime sits at 90% and the headline result is 1,676 units, this scenario comes in 10% above the baseline at 1,844 units.
  • It computes the good part count a vacuum forming line will deliver in a shift by discounting gross cycle output for pump/machine uptime and forming yield. 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

  • 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 Vacuum Pump Capacity calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.