Robotic End-of-Arm Tooling worked example

Pneumatic Air Usage with compressed air draw rate of 30 units / hr: a worked example

What does the result look like when compressed air draw rate reaches 30 units / hr? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it when pneumatic air usage in robotic end-of-arm tooling is being quoted and consumables are a real chunk of the cost stack.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Compressed air draw rate: 30 units / hr (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 12)
  • Gripper cycling runtime: 8 hr (unchanged)
  • Cost per unit of compressed air: 3.5 $ / unit (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Pneumatic air usage consumed = pneumatic air usage use rate × pneumatic air usage runtime) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 240 units for pneumatic air usage consumed, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 840 $ for pneumatic air usage run cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 8 hr for pneumatic air usage runtime.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 3.5 $ / unit for pneumatic air usage unit cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where compressed air draw rate sits at 12 units / hr and the headline result is 96 units, this scenario comes in 150% above the baseline at 240 units.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when compressed air draw rate is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes a steady draw rate, but real grippers spike during actuation and coast between cycles, and it does not model leakage that runs even when the robot is idle — meter the line for a true figure.

Results at a glance

  • Pneumatic air usage consumed: 240 units (headline result)
  • Pneumatic air usage run cost: 840 $
  • Pneumatic air usage runtime: 8 hr
  • Pneumatic air usage unit cost: 3.5 $ / unit

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Pneumatic Air Usage calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.