Robotics & Automation worked example

Robot Cycle Time at 17% cell allowance: a worked example

What does the result look like when cell allowance reaches 17%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it when sizing a pick-place, machine tending, or assembly cell and you need a defensible seconds-per-part number before quoting parts per hour.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Motion and process steps per part: 12 steps (unchanged)
  • Step completion rate: 20 steps / min (unchanged)
  • Cell allowance (I/O waits, gripper, minor stops): 17 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 15)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Base robot cycle time = motion and process steps per part / step completion rate) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.7 sec for required robot cycle time, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.6 sec for base robot cycle time.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 17 % for cell allowance applied.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 20 pieces / min for step completion rate.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where cell allowance sits at 15% and the headline result is 0.69 sec, this scenario comes in 1.74% above the baseline at 0.7 sec.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when cell allowance is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It treats the workcell as a single serial sequence at a constant step completion rate, so it will not capture parallel motion, asynchronous tool changes, or path-dependent slowdowns that a full robot simulation would reveal.

Results at a glance

  • Required robot cycle time: 0.7 sec (headline result)
  • Base robot cycle time: 0.6 sec
  • Cell allowance applied: 17 %
  • Step completion rate: 20 pieces / min

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.