Conveyors worked example

Indexing Conveyor Cycle with index move time of 0.9 sec: a worked example

Suppose index move time falls to 0.9 sec. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Add move, settle, dwell, and unload/load time to estimate total indexing conveyor cycle time.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Index move time: 0.9 sec (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 1.8)
  • Settle and locate time: 0.7 sec (held at the documented default)
  • Required process dwell time: 5.5 sec (held at the documented default)
  • Load and unload handling time: 2 sec (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Indexing cycle time = move time + settle/locate time + process dwell time + load/unload time.
  • Total indexing cycle works out to 9.1 sec / index at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Index move time works out to 0.9 sec at these inputs.
  • Settle and locate time works out to 0.7 sec at these inputs.
  • Element 3 + 4 works out to 7.5 sec / index at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where index move time sits at 1.8 sec and the headline result is 10 sec / index, this scenario comes in 9% below the baseline at 9.1 sec / index.
  • It sums the four phases of one synchronous index — move, settle, process dwell, and load/unload — into total cycle time per index. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Total indexing cycle: 9.1 sec / index (headline result)
  • Index move time: 0.9 sec
  • Settle and locate time: 0.7 sec
  • Element 3 + 4: 7.5 sec / index

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Indexing Conveyor Cycle calculator, set index move time to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.