We define cycle time as the overall length of time it takes to complete a production run divided by the number of good workpieces produced. Frankly speaking, unless your machine is down for setup, it's in production! We make anything that adds to the time it takes to complete a production run fair game for your cycle time reduction program.

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This essential manual presents cycle time reduction from the ground up:

Basic premises - We begin by presenting a series of basic premises, ensuring that readers understand important themes for improvement. And we stress that CNC machine utilization is the highest priority in our definition of setup reduction. We discuss company types and company identity. We define important cycle time reduction terms. And we present important principles of value added to help you involve others in your setup reduction program.

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Cycle time reduction principles - Next we show the principles of cycle time reduction - principles that can be applied to most forms of production equipment. We discuss the importance of reducing cycle time, justification issues, the relationship between production quantities, process, and cycle time, and present two definitions of cycle time. We then show the two task-types related to running production, the three ways to reduce cycle time, and the four steps to cycle time reduction.. A cycle time reduction planning form is included to help you get started with your own cycle time reduction program.

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​Cycle time reduction techniques - Finally, we show countless techniques to help you reduce cycle time. While it is our intention to provide you with as many techniques as possible, our more important objective is to help you understand the ingenuity that it takes to reduce cycle time - and to provide some food-for-thought for your own cycle time reduction program. This lengthy chapter presents cycle time reduction techniques in the approximate order that production runs are completed: preparation and organization, workpiece loading, program execution, workpiece unloading, off-line tasks that occur during every cycle, sizing adjustments, and dull tool replacement. Each step of the way we're showing how to eliminate tasks, move them off line, or facilitate them.