Thermoforming & Vacuum Formed Products worked example

Forming Cycle Time at 12% cooling and index allowance: a worked example in thermoforming & vacuum formed products

Push cooling and index allowance up to 12% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when forming cycle time in thermoforming and vacuum formed products is being added to next week's schedule and you need an honest hours estimate.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Parts required this run: 120 units (unchanged)
  • Forming stations cycled per hour: 12 units / hr (unchanged)
  • Cooling and index allowance: 12 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 10)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Base forming cycle time time = required work รท processing rate) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 11.2 hr for adjusted run time, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 10 hr for base run time.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 12 % for allowance applied.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 12 pieces / min for process rate.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where cooling and index allowance sits at 10% and the headline result is 11 hr, this scenario comes in 1.82% above the baseline at 11.2 hr.
  • It divides required parts by the forming rate to get base time, then multiplies by the allowance factor to produce an adjusted, plannable cycle time. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Adjusted run time: 11.2 hr (headline result)
  • Base run time: 10 hr
  • Allowance applied: 12 %
  • Process rate: 12 pieces / min

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.