Can I add deburring or gauging to the robot's cycle?

Yes, up to the robot wait shown, without losing output. Work that fits in that wait runs while the machine cuts; anything longer makes the robot the pacing station and lowers parts per hour.

What counts as machine cycle time in a tending cell?

The machine's run time plus its idle time for loading and unloading. Lean practice counts load and unload in the effective machine cycle, so a 48 sec cut loaded and unloaded in 12 sec is a 60 sec cycle.

Should availability come from the robot or the whole cell?

From the whole cell. A stop on the robot, machine, infeed or outfeed halts output alike, so log each against planned production time.

Can I use this for one robot tending two machines?

Yes, if both machines run the same part. Enter the robot's loop through both machines as robot cycle time, one machine's cycle as machine cycle time, and both machines' parts as parts per cycle.

Robotics & Automation calculator

Robot Cell Throughput Calculator

Find the good parts per hour a robot cell sustains when the robot and machine run in parallel, and which one paces it. You need both cycle times, parts per cycle, availability, first-pass yield and your required rate.

What this calculator does

Good parts per hour a robot-tended cell sustains, which station sets the pace, and whether that meets your rate.

Formula used

Cell cycle time = MAX(robot cycle time, machine cycle time); robot wait = cell cycle time − robot cycle time
Parts per hour at full cycle rate = 3,600 × parts per cycle ÷ cell cycle time
Cell efficiency = availability × first-pass yield ÷ 100
Sustained good parts per hour = full-rate parts per hour × cell efficiency ÷ 100
Load = required ÷ sustained × 100; longest cell cycle = 3,600 × parts per cycle × cell efficiency ÷ 100 ÷ required

Inputs explained

Robot Cycle Time: Robot's full cycle, load and unload included, timed or simulated.
Machine Cycle Time: Machine run time plus load and unload time; 0 for robot-only cells.
Parts per Cycle: Parts leaving the cell each cycle; 2 for a two-part fixture.
Availability: Run time ÷ planned production time, from the cell's stop log.
First-Pass Yield: Parts good first time ÷ parts made, from inspection records.
Required Good Parts per Hour: Good parts the schedule needs per hour of planned production time.

How to use the result

Best suited to quoting parts per hour for a tending cell, finding whether robot or machine paces the cell.
Assumes every cycle repeats; machines running different parts, or buffers between stations, need a line simulation.

Current U.S. benchmarks

Global copper trades at $13,543 per tonne (IMF via FRED, Jul 2026), up 38.6% in a year, and U.S. industrial electricity averages 9.77 cents per kWh. Both feed electrified-hardware unit economics.

Common questions

Can I add deburring or gauging to the robot's cycle? Yes, up to the robot wait shown, without losing output. Work that fits in that wait runs while the machine cuts; anything longer makes the robot the pacing station and lowers parts per hour.
What counts as machine cycle time in a tending cell? The machine's run time plus its idle time for loading and unloading. Lean practice counts load and unload in the effective machine cycle, so a 48 sec cut loaded and unloaded in 12 sec is a 60 sec cycle.
Should availability come from the robot or the whole cell? From the whole cell. A stop on the robot, machine, infeed or outfeed halts output alike, so log each against planned production time.
Can I use this for one robot tending two machines? Yes, if both machines run the same part. Enter the robot's loop through both machines as robot cycle time, one machine's cycle as machine cycle time, and both machines' parts as parts per cycle.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.