How to Reduce Cycle Time on a Production Line

Cycle time is the time a machine or station needs to process one part and be ready for the next. A line's output is set by its slowest station (the bottleneck), so improvement always starts there.

1. Measure first

Use measurement instead of estimates. Adding simple logic to the PLC that records the start and end of each station's cycle shows real cycle times and their spread. Look at the longest cycles as well as the average; the problem often lies there.

2. Separate the type of loss

• Waiting: the station waits for a part, an operator or the previous station.
• Unnecessary sequential steps: movements that could run in parallel run one after another.
• Delays added as safety margins: fixed timers in the program used instead of sensor confirmation.
• Slow movements: speed and acceleration settings lower than needed.
• Minor stops: short but frequent jams.

3. Improvements on the automation side

1. 1
   Parallel motion

   Start movements that do not interfere with each other at the same time in the program.

2. 2
   Sensor instead of timer

   Replace fixed delays with sensor signals confirming that a movement has finished.

3. 3
   Motion profiles

   Optimise speed and acceleration profiles in servos and drives within mechanical limits.

4. 4
   Log minor stops

   Log alarm and stop reasons; prioritise the most frequent ones.

ELKAR provides PLC programming and field service to add logging logic to the PLC for cycle time measurement, review unnecessary delays and sequential steps in the program, and optimise servo/drive settings.