Line Speed Calculator

One of the factors that determines the appropriate size induction sealing power supply for your application is line speed. When line speed is measured in containers per minute it is a relative term. To get a better understanding of the relative nature, consider the following:

Company A is running 200 containers per minute(CPM) with 12 inches of pitch, or spacing, between the centers of the closures on the containers - thus 1 container per foot(CPF).

Company B is also running the same container at 200 CPM, but they only have 6 inches of pitch between the containers - in this case 2 CPF.

While both companies are running the same number of containers per minute, they are running at different conveyor line speeds.

Calculating conveyor speed in FPM is actually quite easy. Divide the number of containers per minute by the number of containers per foot to get line speed in feet per minute.

Company A line speed = 200 CPM / 1 CPF = 200 FPM

Company B line speed = 200 CPM / 2 CPF = 100 FPM

When sizing your induction cap sealing system it is important to know the line speed in feet per minute(FPM). The example above illustrates that although both applications are running at 200 CPM, Company A is actually running 200 FPM while Company B runs at 100 FPM.

One component of the induction sealing equation is dwell time, that is the amount time the container spends traveling underneath the cap sealer. In our example Company A's product traveling at 200 FPM will spend 1/2 the amount of time under the cap sealer of that of Company B's product traveling at 100 FPM.

Use the calculator at the right to determine your line speed in feet per minute. Simply enter in the number of containers per minute and the pitch between the centers of closures on the containers. The number of containers per foot and the line speed will be automatically calculated.