Estimate scanning time for a full rectangular area using a continuous line-count approximation. Every line traverses the entire width, including blank image regions. The calculator does not parse images or predict machine-specific timing.
Enter lengths in metres and speed in metres per second: 100 mm = 0.1 m, 0.1 mm = 0.0001 m, and 200 mm/s = 0.2 m/s. Width is measured along the scan direction; height is measured perpendicular to it.
LightBurn describes line interval as the distance between raster scan lines and overscanning as extra travel that allows acceleration and deceleration outside the engraving. See its Job Time Optimization documentation.
The formula here is an independently derived planning model: divide height by line spacing, multiply by width divided by speed, add the entered overhead for each line equivalent, and multiply by passes. The documentation supports the meaning of the inputs; it does not supply or validate this complete timing formula.
The model assumes alternating scan directions and one full-width traversal per line. Overhead is charged once per line equivalent on every pass, including the final line. Enter an average allowance for turnaround, stepping and additional travel; do not enter an overscan percentage. The default 0.02 seconds is illustrative, not a machine specification.
Line equivalents are not rounded up. If height divided by interval is fractional, the estimate includes a fractional line. Use height equal to an integer multiple of the interval when you want whole line equivalents. This calculator does not count exact discrete rows or account for whether scan lines include the rectangle’s boundary edges.
| Input | Bounds | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Width and height | 0.000001–10 m each | Positive rectangle dimensions; orient width along the scan direction. |
| Line interval | 0.000001–0.01 m | Must also be no greater than height. Prefer many scan lines for this approximation. |
| Scan speed | 0.000001–100 m/s | Positive nominal traversal speed; not a recommended machine setting. |
| Pass count | 1–1000, whole numbers only | Identical repeated scans. |
| Turnaround overhead | 0–60 s per line | An entered average allowance; zero excludes overhead. |
These bounds are calculator limits, not hardware capabilities or operating recommendations. The calculator does not enforce the cross-input condition that line interval must be no greater than height; check it before using the result.
No image parsing, blank-space skipping, controller simulation or acceleration profile is included. Actual acceleration, overscan and return movements are represented only to the extent captured by your entered overhead. Setup, homing, transfers, pauses, cooling and delays between passes are excluded. Unidirectional scanning, cross-hatching and changing scan angles require a different timing model. This is not a machine-specific completion-time promise.
Zero speed or zero interval cannot produce a valid estimate. An unavailable result is not zero time; correct invalid inputs before interpreting it.
| Inputs | Calculation | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|
| W = 0.1 m; H = 0.05 m; interval = 0.0001 m; speed = 0.2 m/s; 1 pass; overhead = 0.02 s/line | 500 line equivalents; 0.5 s scanning per line; scanning = 250 s; overhead = 10 s | 260 s = 4 min 20 s |
| W = 0.1 m; H = 0.05 m; interval = 0.0001 m; speed = 0.2 m/s; 2 passes; overhead = 0.02 s/line | 2 × 500 × (0.5 + 0.02) | 520 s = 8 min 40 s |
| W = 0.1 m; H = 0.05 m; interval = 0.0002 m; speed = 0.2 m/s; 1 pass; overhead = 0.02 s/line | 250 × (0.5 + 0.02) | 130 s = 2 min 10 s |
| W = 0.1 m; H = 0.05005 m; interval = 0.0001 m; speed = 0.2 m/s; 1 pass; overhead = 0.02 s/line | 500.5 line equivalents × 0.52 s; no whole-row rounding | 260.26 s; continuous approximation only |
Formula background
No registered thumbnail asset was supplied. Create and register a 400 × 400 pixel WebP thumbnail before activation, then reference its actual asset ID in the first image block. Inspect neighboring thumbnails for style: a cheerful yellow five-point star mascot with hands, floating without separate legs or feet, on white with navy, blue and teal raster-line and stopwatch graphics. Do not use an invented asset ID.