CNC Machining worked example

Cutting Time vs Non-Cutting Time at 75% target cutting-time share: a worked example

What does the result look like when target cutting-time share reaches 75%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. measuring the cutting-time share of a CNC program or production cycle

The inputs for this scenario

  • Spindle cutting (chip-making) time: 6.8 min (unchanged)
  • Total CNC cycle time: 11.5 min (unchanged)
  • Target cutting-time share: 75 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 65)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Cutting-time share = cutting time ÷ total CNC cycle time × 100) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 59.13 % cutting for cutting-time share, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 15.87 points for gap to cutting-time target.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 6.8 count for cutting time.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 11.5 count for total cnc cycle time.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where target cutting-time share sits at 65% and the headline result is 59.13 % cutting, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 59.13 % cutting.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when target cutting-time share is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. A high cutting-time share is not automatically good — conservative feeds can keep the spindle engaged longer while still leaving removal-rate gains on the table, so pair it with cycle time itself.

Results at a glance

  • cutting-time share: 59.13 % cutting (headline result)
  • gap to cutting-time target: 15.87 points
  • cutting time: 6.8 count
  • total CNC cycle time: 11.5 count

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Cutting Time vs Non-Cutting Time calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.