Tooling, Fixtures, Dies & Mold Economics worked example

Tooling Backlog at 99% expected press uptime: a worked example

Push expected press uptime up to 99% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when tooling backlog in tooling, fixtures, dies and mold economics is being asked to take on more work and you need to know if there is room.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Parts produced per tooling cycle: 4 units / cycle (unchanged)
  • Tooling cycles available in the window: 480 cycles (unchanged)
  • Expected press uptime: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 90)
  • Expected first-pass yield: 97 % (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

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

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where expected press 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 (sellable) units a tool can produce in a scheduling window after applying uptime and first-pass yield to gross theoretical capacity. 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 tooling backlog capacity: 1,844 units (headline result)
  • Gross tooling backlog capacity: 1,920 units
  • Tooling backlog downtime loss: 19.2 units
  • Tooling backlog yield loss: 57.02 units

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.