What does each solubility measurement actually cost? Surface instrument depreciation, FTE time, and plate-handling overhead — and find the break-even point for automation.
Nominal consumable costs mask the real picture. Instrument depreciation, FTE time allocation, and plate-handling overhead can double or triple the headline number. This calculator surfaces every cost component.
A liquid handling robot dramatically increases throughput, but it adds capital costs, maintenance, and per-plate ECHO fees. The break-even point depends on your annual screening volume — see it clearly before committing budget.
Annual compound capacity is set by your peak throughput rate and scheduled instrument hours. Knowing this ceiling prevents over-commitment to campaign timelines and identifies when additional capacity is required.
Adjust the sliders to reflect your instrument and staffing setup.
Instrument capital is depreciated linearly. Annual depreciation = capital ÷ lifetime. Annual maintenance = capital × maintenance rate. These costs are shared identically by both scenarios.
FTE allocation is the fraction of one scientist's time and cost attributed to solubility operations — including plate setup, data review, and instrument oversight.
Annual capacity assumes continuous operation at peak throughput for the scheduled hours. Actual capacity may be lower due to plate loading, re-runs, and calibration.
ECHO fees apply per assay plate in the automated scenario and represent acoustic liquid handling service or consumable costs not present in the manual workflow.
Compound handling cost is common to both scenarios and represents any per-compound sample preparation performed upstream of the assay.
No re-run rate, reagent degradation, or downtime factors are included in this base model. These would increase costs for both scenarios proportionally.
| Instrument depreciation | — |
| Instrument maintenance | — |
| FTE (allocated cost) | — |
| Consumables (— plates) | — |
| Compound handling (— cpd) | — |
| Annual total | — |
| Instrument depreciation | — |
| Instrument maintenance | — |
| Robot depreciation | — |
| Robot maintenance | — |
| Consumables (— plates) | — |
| ECHO fees (— plates) | — |
| Compound handling (— cpd) | — |
| Annual total | — |
Our application scientists can help you design a screening strategy that matches your throughput requirements and budget constraints.