Cycle time optimization

For all production systems, output is of primary importance. The more a system produces in one hour, the higher the possible sales volume and the faster the purchase of a system will pay for itself. It must always be noted that process reliability and the quality of the result must not be reduced by increasing the production speed. If the cycle time specification is reduced, i.e. more parts are to be produced per hour on a production system, the process reliability of the system must first be checked. If malfunctions occur again and again in the system in question and must be remedied by the system operator, the average cycle time of the system is largely determined by the frequency and duration of the malfunctions. If it now turns out that in a linked process of the production system, the speed itself is demonstrably the cause of certain disruptions, such as quality problems, then it must be checked whether the higher production speed, including troubleshooting, is actually a higher one, or because of it Because of the more frequently occurring disruptions, the overall output was even lower. As a result, the frequency of disruptions should always be reduced before attempting to accelerate sub-processes. You can see here that optimizing the cycle time of a system is not necessarily accompanied by an acceleration of the manufacturing process. On the contrary, the cycle time optimization of a system can actually be achieved by reducing the speed of certain processes. ​ Interest? Write us! Cycle time The word takt time, which is made up of the Latin tactus 'touch, push' and time, is one of the most crucial variables in logistics, production and supply chains. Today, the mass production of products takes place exclusively in industrial production facilities, which are characterized by many individual, highly specialized, differentiated and sequential work steps with their own cycle times. If you look for the term cycle time in the literature, you will find it in REFA Association for Work Design and Business Organization. V. (Ed.): Methodology of work study: Part 3 cost accounting, work design. Munich/Hanser, 1985, p. 282, ISBN 3-446-14236-3) the following definition: “Cycle time – also called work cycle or cycle – is the time in which one unit of quantity is completed so that the flow system achieves the target quantity output.”

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This refers to the production rhythm that must be adhered to in order to keep the flow system running during cycle production and to meet customer demand accordingly. The cycle time is therefore the maximum time that a work step may require in order to have the required product “just-in-time” at the required location and in the required quantity in the entire production process. The term “cycle time” is also often used in connection with production machines. In these cases, the cycle time describes the time required to complete a specific process step. For example, if a sheet metal cover is punched out of a sheet metal blank using press automation, the following sub-processes are required:

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1. The blank loader must separate the blanks using expanding magnets and place them on a conveyor belt

2. The transfer system must place the board in the press

3. The press must use one press stroke to shape the board into a sheet metal cover and punch it out

4. The formed sheet metal lid is then placed on a pallet In these linked processes, the cycle time of the entire system, i.e. from the blank loader to the transfer, press and stacking machine, describes the average time required to produce a sheet metal cover. In this case we are talking about the machine cycle time. The machine cycle time must therefore always be smaller than the economically calculated optimal cycle time. The more stable a system runs, the closer the machine cycle time can be to the work cycle. ​ Interest? Write us!