Repair or Replace Calculator

1Pick the failed part

Machine brand

2Add your numbers

Every field is optional. Fill in what you know. The results update live.

The price on the repair quote.

Days from shipping the part out to having it back.

The price of a new unit or an exchange unit.

Days to receive the replacement.

Lost output for one business day with the machine down.

Estimate your downtime cost

3Answer three questions

Is this part still sold new?

Did this same part fail in the last 12 months?

Is an exchange unit available?

Your Results

Pick a part and enter a repair quote and a replacement price to see the math.

This tool only does math. It does not recommend repair or replacement. Your numbers stay in your browser.

How the Repair or Replace Calculator Works

The calculator compares a repair quote with the price of a new or exchange unit for spindles, servo motors, drives, controls, power supplies, and ball screws. Every number field is optional and updates the results with each new value. Picking the part and the machine brand adds a link to listed shops for that part and can show their published repair times.

The results show the repair quote as a percentage of the replacement price and mark it against three published lines at 50%, 60%, and 75%. Adding a downtime cost and the days for each option gives a total cost for repair and a total cost for replacement. The calculator does the math on your numbers and leaves the choice between repair and replacement to you.

Where the 50%, 60%, and 75% Lines Come From

GES Repair describes the 50% rule as a traditional rule of thumb for machinery. The rule calls for replacing the equipment at a repair cost above half the replacement cost. HS Spindles measures the same 50% line against the cost of a new equivalent machine or component and calls the rule a useful starting point.

Modern Machine Shop calls the 60% rule the industry’s fundamental tenet for deciding between restoring and replacing a machine. The rule says to restore at a cost below 60% of a comparable new machine’s price and to buy new above that line. In Gear Technology the president of Drake Manufacturing sets the line at 75% for remanufacturing a machine without a guarantee of new-machine speed and quality.

How Downtime Changes the Math

HS Spindles points out one gap in the 50% rule and names time as the most important variable left out. The same guide puts the typical cost of downtime at three to five times the direct repair cost. Idle labor, downstream disruption, and expediting costs add to the lost output from the stopped machine.

Downtime during a long lead time can cost more than the price gap between a repair and a new part. HS Spindles compares a new OEM spindle with a 12-week lead time against a spindle repair taking 10 days. The calculator counts this cost by multiplying the downtime cost per business day by the repair time and by the lead time.

What to Request From a Repair Shop

A repair cost estimated before inspection is not a reliable number according to HS Spindles. Ask the shop for a diagnostic assessment and a written quote before entering a repair price in the calculator. The same guide treats repeat repairs for the same problem as a reason to separate a root cause never fixed from a machine at the end of its service life.

HS Spindles lists written warranty terms and documented test results for every repaired component as items to ask a repair shop about. Each listing on this site shows published terms for repair type, turnaround, warranty, free evaluation, and rush service. A shop’s published turnaround plus shipping days can fill the repair time field ahead of a written quote.