Welding & Fabrication worked example
Weld Travel Speed at 86% expected welder or cell duty cycle: a worked example
Push expected welder or cell duty cycle up to 86% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when you need a defensible travel speed setpoint to hit a takt or schedule without leaning on a guess at the dial.
The inputs for this scenario
- Target weld inches per hour: 600 in / hr (unchanged)
- Weld pass length per cycle: 18 in (unchanged)
- Expected welder or cell duty cycle: 86 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 75)
Working through the calculation
- Applying the documented formula (Required throughput at the arc = target weld inches per hour รท expected duty cycle) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
- At this operating point the engine returns 11.63 in / min for required weld travel speed, the number this scenario is built around.
- At this operating point the engine returns 698 in / hr for required throughput at the arc.
How this compares with the baseline
- Against the tool's baseline example, where expected welder or cell duty cycle sits at 75% and the headline result is 13.33 in / min, this scenario comes in 12.79% below the baseline at 11.63 in / min.
- It grosses up your target weld inches per hour by the duty cycle to find required throughput at the arc, then divides by 60 to give the travel speed in inches per minute. 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
- Required weld travel speed: 11.63 in / min (headline result)
- Required throughput at the arc: 698 in / hr
Run it with your numbers
- Every input above is editable in the live Weld Travel Speed calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.
Last reviewed 2026-05-12.