Tube, Pipe & Profile Forming worked example

Mandrel Bend Cycle Time at 7.2% setup & handling allowance: a worked example

Suppose setup & handling allowance falls to 7.2%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Mandrel Bend Cycle Time estimates how long a batch of tube bends will actually occupy a CNC mandrel bender once you add load, unload, and mandrel-lube time to the raw bending rate.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Bends required in the run: 120 units (held at the documented default)
  • Bender throughput rate: 12 units / hr (held at the documented default)
  • Setup & handling allowance: 7.2 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 10)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Base mandrel bend cycle time time = required work รท processing rate.
  • Adjusted run time works out to 10.72 hr at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Base run time works out to 10 hr at these inputs.
  • Allowance applied works out to 7.2 % at these inputs.
  • Process rate works out to 12 pieces / min at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where setup & handling allowance sits at 10% and the headline result is 11 hr, this scenario comes in 2.55% below the baseline at 10.72 hr.
  • It divides the required number of bends by the bender's throughput rate for a base time, then multiplies by an allowance factor to cover setup, load, unload, and handling. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Adjusted run time: 10.72 hr (headline result)
  • Base run time: 10 hr
  • Allowance applied: 7.2 %
  • Process rate: 12 pieces / min

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Mandrel Bend Cycle Time calculator, set setup & handling allowance to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.