Repair ROI is not only the price of deposition versus a new part. It includes avoided downtime, replacement lead time, machining and post-processing, inspection cost, logistics, and the risk of a second failure.

Who this helps

This page turns repair-vs-replace thinking into a practical calculation framework for plant teams and procurement.

What to evaluate

  • Why simple quote comparison is misleading.
  • ROI formula: total replacement path cost vs total repair path cost.
  • Cost buckets: downtime, replacement, transport, machining, validation, inventory.
  • Risk buckets: uncertainty, acceptance criteria, qualification, repeated failure.
  • Example worksheet.
  • How Exafuse evaluates a repair candidate.
  • What procurement should request from suppliers.

Technical context

This topic connects to repair ROI, downtime cost, LMD repair, industrial maintenance, repair economics for industrial LMD, DED, repair, coating, or metal AM decisions.

What to send for a feasibility review

Send drawings or CAD if available, base material, dimensions, damaged or functional zones, target deadline, acceptance criteria, and any documentation requirements. For repair work, add photos of the damage and a short description of the operating conditions.