Pick and Place Cycle Time Calculator
The cycle time of a pick-and-place move — down, grip, up, across, down, release, up and back — from the distances, top speed, acceleration and gripper times, with the parts per minute and per hour.
Results
What this tool does
Each move follows a trapezoidal speed profile: accelerate, cruise, brake. A move shorter than v² ÷ a never reaches top speed; it is all acceleration and braking, and its time grows only with the square root of the distance. That is why a faster robot often saves less than expected: a typical cycle has four short vertical moves and only two horizontal ones, and those short strokes are limited by acceleration, not speed. Lowering the vertical stroke or picking two parts at once usually does more. The model leaves out jerk limits and the path blending that real robots use, so treat the result as a first estimate and confirm it in the manufacturer's simulation.
Formula
t = s ÷ v + v ÷ a if s ≥ v² ÷ a, otherwise t = 2 √(s ÷ a) · cycle = 2 t_horizontal + 4 t_vertical + 2 t_gripper + 6 t_settle
Variables
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
dx | Horizontal travel, pick to place | mm |
dz | Vertical stroke at each end | mm |
vm | Top speed of the axes | m/s |
am | Acceleration (and braking) | m/s² |
tg | Time to close or open the gripper | s |
ts | Settling time at the end of each move | s |
np | Parts taken in each pick | — |
CT | Cycle time | s |
PM | Parts per minute | /min |
PH | Parts per hour | /h |
TH | Time of each horizontal move | s |
TV | Time of each vertical move | s |
GS | Share of the cycle spent gripping and settling | % |
Worked example
- Horizontal travel, pick to place500 mm
- Vertical stroke at each end100 mm
- Top speed of the axes2 m/s
- Acceleration (and braking)15 m/s²
- Time to close or open the gripper0.2 s
- Settling time at the end of each move0.03 s
- Parts taken in each pick1
- Cycle time2.00 s
- Parts per minute30.0 /min
- Parts per hour1800 /h
- Time of each horizontal move0.383 s
- Time of each vertical move0.163 s
- Share of the cycle spent gripping and settling29.0 %
Limitations
- The result is an estimate based only on the values you type. Real situations often include factors this calculator does not know about.
- The formula assumes ideal conditions: no friction losses, no air resistance and no efficiency losses unless you enter them.