The purchase price is the number everyone compares, and the one that tells you least about what a cleaning method costs. This worksheet gives you the structure. You supply the numbers from your own shop, your own quotes and your own records.
- Total cost of ownership is purchase plus running cost, waste, labour and downtime, over the life you plan to use it.
- Express every method per square metre, so laser, blasting and chemicals can be compared on the same basis.
- Waste disposal and secondary clean-down are the two costs buyers underestimate most.
- Downtime has an opportunity cost that often outweighs the consumables saved.
- This worksheet uses symbols only. Use verified figures from your own records.
How to use this worksheet
Symbols, not numbers
We deliberately do not put figures in this worksheet. Costs vary by country, by electricity tariff, by wage and by what you currently pay for media and chemicals. Use your own numbers, and for machine prices use real quotes. For reference, typical market ranges and our starting prices are on the price and ROI page.
Define the comparison first
Pick one representative job: material, contaminant, layer thickness and area. Run the worksheet for each method you are considering, using the same job. Define the planning period (for example, the number of years you expect to use the machine) and call it N.
Part A: Laser cleaning
A1. Purchase and set-up
| Symbol | Item |
|---|---|
| P | Machine price from the quote |
| A | Accessories: fume extractor, eyewear, signage, spare lenses |
| T | Shipping, duties and set-up, if not included in the quote |
| Tr | Operator training |
Capital cost: C = P + A + T + Tr
A2. Running cost per square metre
Three items make up the laser side: electricity, protective lens replacement and routine maintenance hours, all expressed per square metre.
- E = electricity cost per square metre
- L = protective lens and filter cost per square metre
- M = maintenance labour per square metre
- O = operator labour per square metre
Laser running cost per square metre: R(laser) = E + L + M + O
A3. Residual value
If you expect to sell the machine at the end of N, use V as an estimated resale value. Treat V as optional and conservative, or leave it at zero.
Part B: Blasting and chemical cleaning
B1. Abrasive blasting per square metre
- Media purchase
- Spent media disposal
- Masking labour
- Clean-down labour
- Booth space and energy for air supply
- Operator labour
Add them to get R(blast).
B2. Chemical cleaning per square metre
- Chemical purchase
- Effluent treatment
- Personal protective equipment
- Storage
- Drying time and labour
- Operator labour
Add them to get R(chem).
Waste disposal and secondary clean-down never appear on a machine comparison sheet, yet they recur every shift. List them explicitly. If you leave them blank, you are quietly comparing laser against a method that looks cheaper than it is.
Part C: Downtime
C1. Hours lost to the current method
If your current method means dismantling a mould, transporting a part or booking a blast booth, count those hours.
- H = hours of production lost per job with the current method
- H(laser) = hours lost per job with laser cleaning, for example in-place cleaning between runs
- W = value of one production hour to your business
- J = number of jobs per year
Downtime saving per year: D = (H - H(laser)) x W x J
Part D: Put it together
Annual volume
Let S = square metres cleaned per year. Use your own figure, or estimate from your throughput at the power class you are considering. Ask us for a sample test to see what a given class does on your material before you rely on any rate.
Annual saving
Per square metre, the saving of laser over the current method is R(current) - R(laser). Multiplied by S, plus the downtime saving D:
Annual saving = S x (R(current) - R(laser)) + D
Payback and ownership cost
- Payback period = C / Annual saving (in years, if saving is annual)
- TCO(laser) over N = C + N x S x R(laser) - V
- TCO(current) over N = N x S x R(current), plus any equipment you must buy for it
If TCO(laser) is lower than TCO(current), laser cleaning wins on cost for that job. If it is close, include the non-cost benefits: no media, no chemicals, selective cleaning and the ability to clean in place.
What to check before you trust the result
Sensitivity
Change the variables that you are least sure about, S and the hours lost, by a generous margin. If the conclusion survives, it is robust. If it flips, gather better data before you buy.
Non-cost factors
Some benefits do not fit a formula: the ability to clean in the press, protecting a finished surface, avoiding grit in nearby machines and removing wet handling. Note them next to the result.
Safety and compliance
Add the cost of fume extraction and eyewear, which are part of responsible operation. See our safety checklist.
A worked structure, not a result
Reading the outcome
If payback is short and the sensitivity test holds, the case is strong. If payback depends on one optimistic variable, such as an assumed throughput, ask for a sample test and fix that variable before you decide. Finance teams usually want the assumptions listed next to the answer, so keep a column that names the source of every symbol: a quote, a timesheet, an invoice or an estimate.
Review after a year
Once the machine is running, replace the estimates with real figures and see how close you were. The next purchase will be easier to justify.
Next step
Fill in your variables, then send us the job description and we will help you size the machine and test your material. Read the price and ROI page for ranges and the price structure, or contact us for a quote.
