Bearings, Gears & Power Transmission worked example

Gear Cutting Cycle Time at 13% setup and inspection allowance: a worked example

This worked example runs the gear cutting cycle time numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 13% setup and inspection allowance instead of the typical 18%. Estimate total gear cutting hours from gear blanks, demonstrated cutting rate, and setup or inspection allowance for hobbing, shaping, or skiving work.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Gear blanks to cut: 180 gears (held at the documented default)
  • Verified cutting rate: 24 gears / hr (held at the documented default)
  • Setup and inspection allowance: 13 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 18)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Base cutting time = gear blanks to cut รท verified cutting rate.
  • Required gear cutting time works out to 8.48 hr at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Base cutting time works out to 7.5 hr at these inputs.
  • Setup and inspection allowance works out to 13 % at these inputs.
  • Verified cutting rate works out to 24 gears / hr at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where setup and inspection allowance sits at 18% and the headline result is 8.85 hr, this scenario comes in 4.24% below the baseline at 8.48 hr.
  • Use it when scheduling a hobbing or gear-shaping job, quoting cutting lead time, or sizing how much spindle time a power-transmission order will consume. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Required gear cutting time: 8.48 hr (headline result)
  • Base cutting time: 7.5 hr
  • Setup and inspection allowance: 13 %
  • Verified cutting rate: 24 gears / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Gear Cutting Cycle Time calculator, set setup and inspection allowance to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.