Can I use the robot datasheet cycle time?

No. Datasheet cycles use a standard test path, such as 0.36 sec for a 1 kg delta robot on the 25/305/25 mm cycle. The same datasheet says gripper activation and path change it, so time your own cycle.

Should starved infeed time count against availability?

Yes, if the cell was scheduled to run. A robot waiting for parts makes none, and OEE counts all time the process was meant to run but did not as stop time.

Does a two-pick gripper double my pick rate?

Only if the cycle time stays the same. A second pick usually adds a move and a grip, so time the two-pick cycle and enter it with picks per cycle set to 2.

Why not divide my logged picks by shift hours?

That is a fair measured rate, but it cannot predict what a new cycle or gripper will do. Losses already inside a logged count must not be taken out again with an efficiency factor.

Robotics & Automation calculator

Robot Pick Rate Calculator

Turn a timed pick cycle into the good picks per hour a robot sustains after stops and missed picks, and see how many robots a rate needs. You need the cycle, picks per cycle, availability, missed picks and target.

What this calculator does

Good picks per hour one robot sustains from its timed cycle, availability and missed picks, against the rate you need.

Formula used

Picks per hour at full cycle rate = 3,600 ÷ pick cycle time × picks per cycle
Cell efficiency = availability % × (100 − missed picks %) ÷ 100
Sustained good picks per hour = full-rate picks per hour × cell efficiency ÷ 100
Load = required ÷ sustained × 100; robots needed = CEILING(required ÷ sustained)
Longest cycle = 3,600 × picks per cycle × cell efficiency ÷ 100 ÷ required picks per hour

Inputs explained

Pick Cycle Time: One full pick-and-place cycle, timed on the robot or in simulation.
Picks per Cycle: Parts moved each cycle; more than one with a multi-pick gripper.
Availability: Run time ÷ planned time, from the cell's stop log.
Missed Picks: Missed, dropped or re-picked parts as a share of pick attempts.
Required Picks per Hour: Good picks per hour the line or order must get.

How to use the result

Best suited to sizing a picking cell against a line rate, checking a supplier's quoted cycle before purchase.
Stops too short for the stop log still cut the rate; time the cycle over a long run to include them. Vision retries that lengthen the cycle belong in pick cycle time, not in missed picks.

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 use the robot datasheet cycle time? No. Datasheet cycles use a standard test path, such as 0.36 sec for a 1 kg delta robot on the 25/305/25 mm cycle. The same datasheet says gripper activation and path change it, so time your own cycle.
Should starved infeed time count against availability? Yes, if the cell was scheduled to run. A robot waiting for parts makes none, and OEE counts all time the process was meant to run but did not as stop time.
Does a two-pick gripper double my pick rate? Only if the cycle time stays the same. A second pick usually adds a move and a grip, so time the two-pick cycle and enter it with picks per cycle set to 2.
Why not divide my logged picks by shift hours? That is a fair measured rate, but it cannot predict what a new cycle or gripper will do. Losses already inside a logged count must not be taken out again with an efficiency factor.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.