The relationship between cavity count and cycle time
More cavities do not always mean more output; robot intervention, cooling and magazine capacity must be taken into account.
Hourly output = cavity count × 3600 / cycle time. When the cavity count doubles the EOAT plate gets heavier, robot intervention gets longer and mould cooling time increases; the cycle lengthens as a result. An 8-cavity mould at 2.4 seconds yields 12,000 containers per hour, a 16-cavity mould at 3.2 seconds 18,000; 1.5 times, not double.
Label consumption grows at the same rate: at 16 cavities and 3.2 seconds an 8-hour shift has 9,000 cycles, i.e. 16 × 9,000 = 144,000 labels. An 800-label cassette per cavity lasts 800 cycles, about 43 minutes. The LM-8 magazine has level and pick-up sensors on every station and warns the operator before a cassette runs out.
The right question is not "how many cavities" but "which cavity–cycle–robot combination gives the lowest unit cost for the target volume".
Let us review your application. Send your container dimensions, cavity count and machine details through the quote form and we will prepare an application analysis and a preliminary quote. You can also reach us via our contact page.
