Engineering English
Cycle Time
Manufacturing Engineering · Industrial Engineering · Mechatronics & Robotics · Software Engineering · Last updated: July 30, 2026 · How this entry was written
Definition: Cycle time is the total elapsed time from the start to the end of a single operation or process. It is a critical measure for evaluating the speed and efficiency of a production step.
Example in context
“The robot cell cycle time of 12 seconds had to be reduced to 10 seconds to improve overall line throughput.”
“Genel hat verimini artırmak için robot hücresi çevrim süresi 12 saniyeden 10 saniyeye düşürülmelidir.”
Where engineers use it
Cycle time is measured for each station in automated production lines. Engineers analyze it when performing time studies, programming PLCs, and optimizing robot motions to achieve target throughput.
Synonyms: process time, operation time
Antonyms: idle time
In Industrial Engineering
The time required to complete one repetition of an operation or to produce one unit at a workstation, measured from the start of one cycle to the start of the next.
“Reducing the cycle time at the welding station by ten seconds increased the line's daily output significantly.”
In Mechatronics & Robotics
The total time required to complete one full operation sequence from start to end, including motion, dwells, and auxiliary actions. It is a critical metric for productivity in robotic automation.
“We optimized the welding path to reduce the robot's cycle time by 15% while maintaining weld quality.”
In Software Engineering
Cycle time measures the elapsed time from when work starts on a task until it is delivered. It is a key metric for evaluating efficiency and predictability in software development processes.
“By analyzing cycle time data, the team identified that code review was the longest phase, prompting them to pair program more frequently.”
Practice: can you use “Cycle Time” at work?
A quality report shows a station consistently exceeds its target cycle time. You must identify the bottleneck operations and propose motion sequence changes.
Show a model answer
“Verify that the robot's cycle time is below the required takt time for the line.”
“Cycle Time” in 21 languages
| English | Cycle Time |
|---|---|
| Turkish | çevrim süresi |
| French | temps de cycle |
| German | Zykluszeit |
| Spanish | tiempo de ciclo |
| Chinese | 周期时间 |
| Arabic | وقت الدورة |
| Portuguese | tempo de ciclo |
| Russian | время цикла |
| Japanese | サイクルタイム |
| Italian | tempo di ciclo |
| Vietnamese | thời gian chu kỳ |
| Hindi | चक्र समय |
| Thai | เวลาไซเคิล |
| Indonesian | waktu siklus |
| Korean | 사이클 타임 |
| Bengali | চক্র সময় |
| Dutch | cyclustijd |
| Swedish | cykeltid |
| Finnish | syklin aika |
| Ukrainian | час циклу |
Frequently asked questions
What does Cycle Time mean in engineering?
Cycle time is the total elapsed time from the start to the end of a single operation or process. It is a critical measure for evaluating the speed and efficiency of a production step. In Manufacturing Engineering, the term carries a usage-frequency rating of 10/10 in the Engineering English library.
How do you pronounce Cycle Time?
Cycle Time is pronounced /saɪkəl taɪm/ (IPA). The Engineering English app plays audio for the term and checks your pronunciation with speech recognition.
How is Cycle Time used in a sentence?
Example from an engineering context: “The robot cell cycle time of 12 seconds had to be reduced to 10 seconds to improve overall line throughput.”
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