Equipment Buying Center - Calculator
Freeze Dryer Capacity Matcher
This tool answers "how many batches and machine hours does my weekly target need?" from your own numbers: weekly fresh-product target, load per batch, average cycle duration, utilization and the number of machines. You choose the basis explicitly, Manufacturer Rated Load or My Practical Load, and the output is labeled as an estimate based on your assumptions.
Inputs
Runs entirely in your browser. Every result is labeled as calculated from or estimated from your own inputs; nothing is a manufacturer guarantee.
Basis for load per batch (you choose; never defaulted silently)
Only models with a published manufacturer fresh-batch figure appear here. A rated load is a planning figure, not a guaranteed practical load for every food.
Use a number you have actually loaded and dried well, not a brochure figure. Practical load varies by food, preparation, thickness and loading.
Batches required per week
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Calculated: weekly target ÷ load per batch, spread across machines
Machine hours per week
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Calculated: batches × average cycle hours
Estimated weekly capacity under your assumptions
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Estimate, not a specification
What the Results Mean
Batches required is your weekly target divided by the load per batch, spread across the number of machines. Machine hours is that many batches times the average cycle duration, which is your real week of runtime, not a brochure schedule. Estimated weekly capacity is what the machines could produce at your stated utilization: machines × utilization × (168 hours per week ÷ cycle hours) × load per batch.
The Formulas
- Batches required = weekly target ÷ load per batch; per machine = that ÷ number of machines.
- Machine hours = batches required × average cycle duration.
- Estimated weekly capacity = machines × utilization × 168 ÷ cycle duration × load per batch.
Important Limitations
- The results are user-assumption estimates only. Real performance varies by food, preparation, thickness, loading, room conditions and machine maintenance.
- Manufacturer Rated Load is a published planning figure, not a guaranteed practical load. Choose My Practical Load whenever you have a number from your own batches.
- Cycle duration is end to end, including defrosting, cleaning and packaging between batches when you enter a real average.
- For a neutral view of multiple machines versus one larger machine, see the multiple versus larger guide.