UV Curing calculator

UV System Throughput Calculator

The nameplate throughput on a UV cure cell rarely matches reality once you back out lamp warm-up, jams, swap downtime, and cure-related rejects. This calculator builds a realistic good-parts-per-hour number from the belt speed, parts pitch on the belt, line uptime, and cure yield — exactly what an operations manager will hold the line accountable to.

What this calculator does

  • Project good cured parts per hour from belt speed, parts pitch, line uptime, and cure-related yield — the realistic capacity, not nameplate.
  • Use it when sizing capacity for a new program, deciding whether a UV cell is the bottleneck, or answering 'how many can we ship per shift'.
  • Returns realistic good-parts-per-hour from a UV cure system, separating gross nameplate, uptime loss, and yield loss.

Formula used

  • Gross throughput (parts/hr) = parts per belt foot × belt speed × 60
  • Net throughput = gross × uptime × cure yield

Inputs explained

  • Parts per belt foot: 1 ÷ pitch (in) × 12; e.g. parts on 6-in pitch = 2 parts / ft.
  • Belt speed: Production line speed at the cure station — verify with a tach.
  • Line uptime: Production hours ÷ scheduled hours after lamp warm-up, jams, breaks; 75–90% is common.
  • Cure-related yield: % of cured parts that pass downstream; 95–99% on stable UV processes.

How to use the result

  • Use it during capacity sizing for new programs, in monthly OEE reviews when the cure cell is the suspected bottleneck, and for quote-time throughput on contract coating work.
  • Single-cell math. Real factories also lose to changeover and material wait time; if your operations track those separately, the cure cell's output will be the lower of this calc and the upstream feed rate. Pair with UV Cure Defect Rate to keep the yield input honest.

Common questions

  • What uptime number is realistic for a UV line? 75–85% on mercury lines (warm-up, periodic re-strike, lamp swaps, scheduled cleanings). 85–92% on LED lines (no warm-up, fewer swaps). New lines often start at 60–70% during the first 2–3 months while the team learns the equipment, then climb.
  • Where does cure yield come from? It's the share of cured parts that pass downstream inspection for cure-related defects (under-cure tack, over-cure embrittlement, surface flaws). Pull from the last 4 weeks of QA data, not from a one-shift sample. UV Cure Defect Rate gives the same number from the inverse direction.
  • Throughput is below target — where do I look first? In order of payoff: uptime (the biggest single lever, usually), then yield (smaller % point but each point is a real cost), then belt speed if the dose math allows. Increasing belt speed without confirming UV Dose Margin is the most common throughput mistake — you trade yield for speed and net out lower.
  • Does this apply to batch UV ovens? Use UV Batch Cure Capacity instead for stationary fixtures with cycle-based loading. This calc assumes continuous belt feed and pitch-based loading.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.