Why is my cycle slower than the robot's catalog cycle time?

Catalog cycle times are a short benchmark move optimized for speed. Epson quotes 0.49 sec for its T6 on a round trip of 300 mm across and 25 mm up with 2 kg. Your cycle adds real path, stops, payload and waits.

How much margin under takt should a robot cycle have?

Enough to cover the time the cell loses to faults, restarts and starving, which you should measure. A cell that runs 90% of the time needs a cycle of at most 90% of takt.

Does a two-part gripper halve my cycle time?

No, it halves time per part only if the cycle itself does not grow. Enter takt times parts per cycle as the takt, because this page compares one robot cycle with it.

What should I cut first when the cycle misses takt?

The larger of travel and dwell. For travel, blend via points into fewer stops and raise acceleration; for dwell, start handshakes during moves. If the cycle is still over, split the work across two robots.

Robotics & Automation calculator

Robot Cycle Time Calculator

Find the seconds one robot cycle takes and whether it fits takt, before you quote or build the cell. You need path length, stops, programmed speed and acceleration, dwell time and takt.

What this calculator does

Robot cycle time from the moves and waits in your program, checked against the takt time the line needs.

Formula used

d = path length ÷ stops; a = acceleration × 1,000 mm/m; peak speed = MIN(programmed speed, √(d × a))
Travel time = stops × (d ÷ peak speed + peak speed ÷ a)
Cycle time = travel time + dwell time; margin to takt = takt time − cycle time
Share of takt used = cycle time ÷ takt time × 100; dwell share = dwell time ÷ cycle time × 100
Ideal cycles per hour = 3,600 ÷ cycle time

Inputs explained

Path Length per Cycle: Tool center point path from the simulation, or summed move lengths.
Stops per Cycle: Points programmed with a full stop (fine, zero blend radius).
Programmed Speed: Linear tool speed set in the move instructions.
Acceleration: Tool acceleration set in the program or reported by simulation.
Dwell Time per Cycle: Gripper, handshake and programmed waits per cycle; see Robot Dwell Time.
Takt Time: Available seconds divided by parts demanded, times parts per cycle.

How to use the result

Best suited to checking a robot program against line takt, quoting a pick and place or tending cell.
Jerk-limited acceleration, blended corners and wrist reorientation add time; confirm the program in simulation. Ideal cycles per hour excludes faults, starved and blocked time, and rejects.

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

Why is my cycle slower than the robot's catalog cycle time? Catalog cycle times are a short benchmark move optimized for speed. Epson quotes 0.49 sec for its T6 on a round trip of 300 mm across and 25 mm up with 2 kg. Your cycle adds real path, stops, payload and waits.
How much margin under takt should a robot cycle have? Enough to cover the time the cell loses to faults, restarts and starving, which you should measure. A cell that runs 90% of the time needs a cycle of at most 90% of takt.
Does a two-part gripper halve my cycle time? No, it halves time per part only if the cycle itself does not grow. Enter takt times parts per cycle as the takt, because this page compares one robot cycle with it.
What should I cut first when the cycle misses takt? The larger of travel and dwell. For travel, blend via points into fewer stops and raise acceleration; for dwell, start handshakes during moves. If the cycle is still over, split the work across two robots.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.