Electronics Manufacturing worked example

SMT Cycle Time at 14% board handling and minor-stop allowance: a worked example

This scenario runs the smt cycle time calculation on the strong side: 14% board handling and minor-stop allowance, with every other input held at its documented default. an SMT engineer is estimating cycle time for a new PCB assembly before the first production run

The inputs for this scenario

  • Placements per SMT cycle: 1,250 placements (unchanged)
  • Achieved placement speed: 18 placements / sec (unchanged)
  • Board handling and minor-stop allowance: 14 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 12)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Placement-only cycle time = placements per SMT cycle รท achieved placement speed) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 79.17 sec for estimated smt cycle time, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 69.44 sec for placement-only cycle time.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 14 % for handling and minor-stop allowance.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 18 placements / sec for achieved placement speed.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where board handling and minor-stop allowance sits at 12% and the headline result is 77.78 sec, this scenario comes in 1.79% above the baseline at 79.17 sec.
  • Use it when balancing an SMT line, estimating boards per hour, or checking whether a placement machine can hold the required takt. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Estimated SMT cycle time: 79.17 sec (headline result)
  • Placement-only cycle time: 69.44 sec
  • Handling and minor-stop allowance: 14 %
  • Achieved placement speed: 18 placements / sec

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live SMT Cycle Time calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.