What is the difference between blocked and starved time?

Blocked means the robot could work but a downstream machine is not ready, so the part cannot leave. Starved means the robot waits because an upstream process has not supplied the next part. The blocked versus starved row shows the larger of the two.

Why is the remaining idle time negative?

Your logged categories add up to more minutes than the cell was scheduled, which usually means one cause was counted twice or the logs cover different periods. Recheck overlapping stops before using the split.

How do I collect blocked and starved minutes?

Read the controller and cell logs, or observe the cell and tally stop reasons: waiting on the machine downstream is blocked, waiting on the feeder is starved. Keep the rest separate as unexplained idle.

Does idle time belong in an OEE calculation?

Yes. Blocked, starved and unexplained idle minutes are availability losses, so they reduce OEE unless the cell was not scheduled to run. Planned stops stay outside scheduled time.

Robotics & Automation calculator

Robot Idle Time Calculator

Split the scheduled minutes a cell loses into in-cycle work, blocked time and starved time, then read the idle time left unexplained. The split shows which loss, blocking or starving, costs more.

What this calculator does

How much scheduled cell time the robot is neither cycling nor blocked nor starved, and which loss is larger.

Formula used

Tracked time (min) = in-cycle minutes + blocked minutes + starved minutes
Remaining idle time (min) = scheduled cell minutes − tracked time
Idle share of scheduled time (%) = remaining idle ÷ scheduled cell minutes × 100
Blocked versus starved gap (%) = ABS(blocked − starved) ÷ scheduled cell minutes × 100

Inputs explained

Scheduled Cell Minutes: Minutes the cell was scheduled and staffed to run.
In-Cycle Minutes: Minutes the robot spent cycling, from the controller or time study.
Blocked Minutes: Minutes waiting on the downstream machine or conveyor.
Starved Minutes: Minutes waiting on parts from the upstream process.

How to use the result

Best suited to cell time study for a robot workcell, choosing between a buffer and an extra operator, attributing idle time before capital spending.
The split reports only what you logged; idle time hiding inside in-cycle minutes stays invisible. One shift of data can mislead, so log several shifts before acting on the split.

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

What is the difference between blocked and starved time? Blocked means the robot could work but a downstream machine is not ready, so the part cannot leave. Starved means the robot waits because an upstream process has not supplied the next part. The blocked versus starved row shows the larger of the two.
Why is the remaining idle time negative? Your logged categories add up to more minutes than the cell was scheduled, which usually means one cause was counted twice or the logs cover different periods. Recheck overlapping stops before using the split.
How do I collect blocked and starved minutes? Read the controller and cell logs, or observe the cell and tally stop reasons: waiting on the machine downstream is blocked, waiting on the feeder is starved. Keep the rest separate as unexplained idle.
Does idle time belong in an OEE calculation? Yes. Blocked, starved and unexplained idle minutes are availability losses, so they reduce OEE unless the cell was not scheduled to run. Planned stops stay outside scheduled time.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.