True Cost of Aluminum Extrusion Die Maintenance: 10 Years TCO. Step D.
- Silvio Ruiu
- Dec 31, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 24
💰 cames from the press paying efforts.
🚩 deviations come from inertia.
💡 cLEAN helps backing on track.
Dies cleaning Napkin math, on-field collected consistent numbers.
(Basis: 10,000 dies/year | Energy: $0.08/kWh | Labor: $20/h)
Annual OPEX Factor | Manual Air | Manual Wet | Automated Air | Automated Wet | Wheel Blaster |
Energy Cost | $3,080 | $3,500 | $7,330 | $1,500 | $160 |
Labor Cost | $140,000 | $140,000 | $16,660 | $16,660 | $13,340 |
Consumables (Media) | $5,000 | $6,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $3,000 |
Waste Management | $1,000 | $8,000 | $2,000 | $8,000 | $400 |
Service & Maintenance | $2,000 | $15,000 | $10,000 | $15,000 | $10,000* |
TOTAL ANNUAL COST | 151.1K | 172.5K | 46K | 51.2K | 26.9K |
COST PER DIE | $15.11 | $17.25 | $4.60 | $5.12 | $2.69 |
*Note: The $10,000 figure for the Wheel Blaster includes a Full-Inclusive Service Package (original spare parts and scheduled technical assistance on site).
The Master TCO: A 10-Year Roadmap.
An aluminum extrusion plant is not built to produce for a short period of time; it is built to last and win the challenges of tomorrow. Here is the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) following the same criteria:
This represents the definitive financial roadmap for any serious Technical Review. It shows the "Cumulative Spend" (CAPEX + running OPEX) at the end of each year.
10-Year Cumulative TCO Projection (K = 1,000$).
Year | Manual Air | Manual Wet | Automated Air | Automated Wet | Wheel Blaster |
0 (CAPEX) | 20K | 35K | 200K | 150K | 200K |
Year 1 | 171K | 207K | 246K | 201K | 227K |
Year 2 | 322K | 380K | 292K | 252K | 254K |
Year 3 | 473K | 552K | 338K | 303K | 281K |
Year 4 | 624K | 725K | 384K | 354K | 308K |
Year 5 | 775K | 897K | 430K | 406K | 334K |
Year 6 | 926K | 1.070K | 476K | 457K | 361K |
Year 7 | 1.077K | 1.242K | 522K | 508K | 388K |
Year 8 | 1.228K | 1.415K | 568K | 559K | 415K |
Year 9 | 1.379K | 1.587K | 614K | 610K | 442K |
Year 10 | 1.530K | 1.760K | 660K | 661K | 469K |
Why Wheel Blasting is the Only Choice.
By LEAN principles, this demonstrates a total lack of logic in pursuing manual systems due to their massive costs and inconsistency. Among automated systems, the Wheel Blaster is clearly the machine with the lowest economic impact overall.
Die Cleaning Analysis Summary:
Step A: Dies are the real asset of an extrusion plant.
Step B: Impact of wrong surface engineering on dies weights about 30% loss on EBITDA.
Step C: Technically, the Wheel Blaster is the best approach per common practices and norms.
Step D: Economically, using any other technology is financial suicide.
Note for corporate: wheel blaster process is so consistent that allows to check, crossing the data who is performing on target or deviating.
Is Your Process Under Control?
Whatever technology you are using today, the leadership is in the Wheel Blaster process. If you are already using this technology, a periodic on site check is the only way to ensure peak performance.
If your current TCO doesn't match these benchmarks, your process has a leak. Let's verify it together with an on-site analysis.
Thanks for reading till the end.
