Conveyors worked example

Conveyor Speed with required throughput of 450 parts / hr: a worked example

This worked example runs the conveyor speed numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: required throughput of 450 parts / hr instead of the typical 900 parts / hr. Size belt or line speed for throughput, spacing, and dwell requirements.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Required throughput: 450 parts / hr (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 900)
  • Part pitch / spacing: 8 in (held at the documented default)
  • Process zone length: 18 ft (held at the documented default)
  • Target dwell time: 90 sec (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Throughput speed = parts per minute × part spacing.
  • Throughput speed works out to 5 ft / min at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Dwell speed works out to 12 ft / min at these inputs.
  • Parts per minute works out to 7.5 parts / min at these inputs.
  • Dwell at throughput speed works out to 216 sec at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where required throughput sits at 900 parts / hr and the headline result is 10 ft / min, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 5 ft / min.
  • Use it when designing or retuning a conveyor through an oven, washer, inspection, or cure zone, and whenever throughput and process-time requirements need to be reconciled. 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

  • Throughput speed: 5 ft / min (headline result)
  • Dwell speed: 12 ft / min
  • Parts per minute: 7.5 parts / min
  • Dwell at throughput speed: 216 sec

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Conveyor Speed calculator, set required throughput to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.