Interactive Buyer Tool
26-Station Ground-Rail Line Throughput Calculator
Tell us your takt time, shift pattern and line efficiency, and see what a 26-station ground-rail foaming line actually puts out — per hour, per shift, per day and per year. The defaults are the published 20-second cycle of the UREXCEED line; change any number to model your own plant.
Tool rev. June 2026
Most line quotes give you a single peak number — "up to X cabinets per shift" — that assumes perfect uptime and one wall thickness. A procurement plan needs the honest figure: what the line produces at your real takt, your real shift pattern and a realistic efficiency. This calculator does that math live. It starts from the published spec of the UREXCEED 26-station ground-rail line — 26 stations, a 20-second cabinet cycle — and lets you flex every input to match the plant you are sizing.
Throughput calculator
Adjust the inputs — the output updates instantly. Steady-state rate is one cabinet per takt times your efficiency; the station count sets how long the rail takes to fill, not the hourly rate (see the method note below).
Estimated output
Estimate only. Real output depends on cabinet size, wall thickness, curing time, manual pour time, crew skill and material supply. Use it to scope investment, then ask us for a configured line study against your cabinet mix.
Get a line study for these numbersHow the calculation works
No black box. Four steps turn a takt time into an annual figure, and one honest caveat keeps the station count where it belongs.
1 · Cabinets per hour
A ground-rail line releases one cabinet every takt. At a 20-second takt that is 3,600 ÷ 20 = 180 cabinets per hour at full speed. Multiply by your line efficiency (e.g. 85%) for the real rate — about 153 per hour.
2 · Per shift and per day
Cabinets per hour × productive hours per shift gives the shift output. Multiply by shifts per day for the daily figure. Two 8-hour shifts at 153/hour is roughly 2,450 cabinets a day.
3 · Per year
Daily output × working days per year (after holidays and planned maintenance) gives the annual capacity that a payback model is built on — typically 300 working days.
4 · Station count ≠ hourly rate
The 26 stations do not multiply the rate. The rail still releases one cabinet per takt; the stations set work-in-process and the fill time (stations × takt) before the first cabinet exits. More stations buy curing dwell and stable quality, not a faster clock.
What moves the real number
The calculator gives a clean estimate. On the floor, five variables decide whether you hit it. Each one is a question to settle before you sign a line order.
Cabinet size and wall thickness
A 25 mm domestic door and an 80 mm freezer wall do not foam in the same time. Thicker walls need more pour and longer cure, which lengthens the effective takt. Quote your real cabinet mix, not the smallest unit.
Curing dwell
PU needs time in the jig to cure before demould. On a ground-rail line the rail length and station count are sized so the dwell is met at the target takt — too short a line forces a slower takt or early demould and warped walls.
Manual pour and load time
The published 20-second cycle excludes manual operation time. If liner load, insert placement and pour are manual, the real takt is the cycle plus that handling — design the crew and stations around it.
Line efficiency (OEE)
Changeovers between cabinet models, short stops, material refills and start-up scrap all pull efficiency below 100%. A well-run single-product line sits around 85%; a high-mix line runs lower. Model the number you can sustain.
Material and steam supply
A 200 m³/h steam supply and stable PU metering keep the rail moving. If polyol/iso temperature drifts or steam capacity is short, density and cure suffer and the line slows to protect quality.
See the refrigerator manufacturing solution behind the line
This calculator sizes the ground-rail foaming line at the heart of a refrigerator/freezer OEM plant. The full solution covers the moulds, the high-pressure foaming system, the materials and how the line is configured to your cabinet mix and volume.
View the refrigerator manufacturing solutionThroughput calculator — FAQ
How many cabinets can a 26-station ground-rail line produce?
At the published 20-second takt and 85% efficiency, about 153 cabinets per hour — roughly 1,220 per 8-hour shift, 2,450 per day on two shifts, and over 700,000 a year on 300 working days. Change the takt, efficiency or shift pattern in the calculator to match your plant; thicker freezer walls lengthen the takt and lower the number.
Why does the calculator default to a 20-second cycle?
Twenty seconds is the published production cycle of the UREXCEED 26-station ground-rail line (excluding manual operation time). It is a realistic takt for refrigerator door and cabinet foaming. If your cabinets are larger or your pour is manual, raise the takt to reflect your real cycle.
Does adding more stations make the line faster?
No. A ground-rail line still releases one cabinet per takt regardless of station count. More stations give more curing dwell and work-in-process, which protects wall quality and lets you hold a fast takt — but the hourly rate is set by the takt and efficiency, not the number of stations.
What line efficiency should I assume?
For a well-run line producing one or two cabinet models, 80–88% is realistic once changeovers, short stops and start-up scrap are counted. A high-mix line with frequent model changes runs lower. The 85% default is a sensible planning figure; model the efficiency you can actually sustain.
Is this estimate good enough to plan an investment?
It is good enough to scope the decision — to see whether one line, two shifts or a faster takt gets you to your target volume. Before you commit, send us your cabinet classes, wall thicknesses and target volume and we will return a configured line study with a takt, station count and capacity matched to your product.
Want these numbers configured to your cabinets?
Send us your cabinet classes, wall thicknesses and target volume. We will come back with a line configuration — takt, station count, foaming system and layout — and the real capacity it delivers.
Request a line study