Why is cost per part the headline?

Because a shift total does not move with production. Halve the parts and the same crew and electricity nearly double the cost of each part.

Is energy really that small a share?

On most UV lines yes, typically under a fifth. That is worth knowing before spending engineering effort on it.

How do I get lamp wear per part?

From the lamp replacement page: cost per operating hour divided by parts per hour. Estimating directly understates it because swap downtime is easy to forget.

What belongs in labor and overhead?

Only what the cure station carries. If one operator tends four stations, a quarter belongs here; follow your costing allocation rather than inventing one.

UV Curing calculator

UV Coating Cure Cost Calculator: Cost per Part and Its Mix

See what running a UV cure station costs and what the total consists of. Enter parts per shift, lamp wear per part, shift energy and labor plus overhead.

What this calculator does

Combine lamp wear, energy and labor into a cure cost per part and show the mix.

Formula used

Lamp wear per shift = parts per shift × lamp wear per part
Total cure cost per shift = lamp wear + energy + labor and overhead
Cure cost per part = total cure cost per shift ÷ parts per shift
Labor and overhead share = labor and overhead ÷ total × 100
Energy cost per part = energy cost per shift ÷ parts per shift

Inputs explained

Parts Cured per Shift: Good parts out of the cure station in the shift.
Lamp Wear per Part: Lamp cost per part, derived from hours and parts per hour.
Energy Cost per Shift: Electricity for the cure station over the shift.
Labor and Overhead per Shift: Crew time and allocated overhead carried by the station.

How to use the result

Best suited to costing curing for a quotation, deciding whether to attack energy, lamps or labor, sizing an LED retrofit against total cure cost.
Excludes the coating material, which usually exceeds everything here. Excludes scrap and rework; an undercured part carries full cost for no value. Treats lamp wear as per part when it is really per operating hour.

Common questions

Why is cost per part the headline? Because a shift total does not move with production. Halve the parts and the same crew and electricity nearly double the cost of each part.
Is energy really that small a share? On most UV lines yes, typically under a fifth. That is worth knowing before spending engineering effort on it.
How do I get lamp wear per part? From the lamp replacement page: cost per operating hour divided by parts per hour. Estimating directly understates it because swap downtime is easy to forget.
What belongs in labor and overhead? Only what the cure station carries. If one operator tends four stations, a quarter belongs here; follow your costing allocation rather than inventing one.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.