Electronics Manufacturing worked example

SMT Cycle Time at 8.64% board handling and minor-stop allowance: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop board handling and minor-stop allowance to 8.64%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate placement cycle seconds per board or panel from placement count, machine placement rate, and setup/handling allowance.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Placements per SMT cycle: 1,250 placements (held at the documented default)
  • Achieved placement speed: 18 placements / sec (held at the documented default)
  • Board handling and minor-stop allowance: 8.64 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 12)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Placement-only cycle time = placements per SMT cycle รท achieved placement speed.
  • Estimated SMT cycle time works out to 75.44 sec at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Placement-only cycle time works out to 69.44 sec at these inputs.
  • Handling and minor-stop allowance works out to 8.64 % at these inputs.
  • Achieved placement speed works out to 18 placements / sec at these inputs.

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 3% below the baseline at 75.44 sec.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to board handling and minor-stop allowance, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It uses a single blended placement speed, so it won't capture per-component differences like fine-pitch QFNs or odd-form parts that place far slower than chip components.

Results at a glance

  • Estimated SMT cycle time: 75.44 sec (headline result)
  • Placement-only cycle time: 69.44 sec
  • Handling and minor-stop allowance: 8.64 %
  • Achieved placement speed: 18 placements / sec

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live SMT Cycle Time calculator, set board handling and minor-stop allowance to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.