Tooling, Fixtures, Dies & Mold Economics worked example

Tooling Amortization at 65% machine uptime during the run: a worked example in tooling, fixtures, dies & mold economics

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop machine uptime during the run to 65%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate tooling amortization for tooling, fixtures, dies and mold economics using production-ready inputs so teams can confirm whether capacity can cover demand before committing the schedule.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Parts produced per tooling cycle: 4 units / cycle (held at the documented default)
  • Tooling cycles available in the run: 480 cycles (held at the documented default)
  • Machine uptime during the run: 65 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 90)
  • First-pass yield off the tool: 97 % (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Gross tooling amortization capacity = tooling amortization output per cycle × available tooling amortization cycles.
  • Good tooling amortization capacity works out to 1,211 units at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Gross tooling amortization capacity works out to 1,920 units at these inputs.
  • Tooling amortization downtime loss works out to 672 units at these inputs.
  • Tooling amortization yield loss works out to 37.44 units at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where machine uptime during the run sits at 90% and the headline result is 1,676 units, this scenario comes in 27.78% below the baseline at 1,211 units.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to machine uptime during the run, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It assumes uptime and yield are steady across the run; a tool that degrades near end-of-life will show falling yield that a single averaged figure hides.

Results at a glance

  • Good tooling amortization capacity: 1,211 units (headline result)
  • Gross tooling amortization capacity: 1,920 units
  • Tooling amortization downtime loss: 672 units
  • Tooling amortization yield loss: 37.44 units

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Tooling Amortization calculator, set machine uptime during the run to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.