1. What is Equipment Availability?

Equipment Availability is a key performance indicator that measures the percentage of time equipment is operational and available for production out of the total scheduled time.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the availability formula:

Where:

• \( Operating\ Time \) — Actual time equipment was running (hours)
• \( Total\ Time \) — Total scheduled or possible operating time (hours)

Explanation: The formula calculates what percentage of the total possible time the equipment was actually available for use.

3. Importance of Availability Calculation

Details: Availability is crucial for maintenance planning, production scheduling, and identifying equipment reliability issues. High availability indicates reliable equipment, while low availability may signal maintenance problems.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter operating time and total time in hours. Both values must be positive numbers, and operating time cannot exceed total time.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's considered good availability?
A: This varies by industry, but generally >90% is good for most manufacturing equipment. Critical equipment often aims for >95%.

Q2: How is this different from reliability?
A: Availability measures uptime percentage, while reliability measures how often equipment fails (mean time between failures).

Q3: Should planned maintenance be included in operating time?
A: No, planned maintenance downtime should be excluded from operating time but included in total time.

Q4: What if my equipment runs 24/7?
A: Then total time would be 24 hours per day × number of days in the period you're measuring.

Q5: How often should availability be calculated?
A: Typically calculated weekly, monthly, or quarterly depending on your maintenance strategy and production needs.