Nearly four decades after inventing the Bi-Flo, Garvey continues to reduce manufacturing downtime with industry-leading accumulation equipment
BLUE ANCHOR, N.J., Sept. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Faced with growing margin pressure, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage manufacturers are all striving toward a common goal: keeping their lines running. Consultants estimate that factories lose between 5% and 20% of their productivity to downtime every year [1]. Even worse, 80% of industrial facilities can’t accurately estimate their downtime, and many underestimate their downtime costs by as much as 300%.
In 1981, Garvey was approached by a major manufacturer to develop a new accumulation solution for very heavy products that would cause downtime by constantly jamming the rotary table on the line. The solution Garvey invented was the Bi-Flo Accumulation Table, the first accumulator to use two conveyors running in opposite directions. It was also the first accumulation system that didn’t jam.
“The Bi-Flo creates a circular flow so that products can continue to go around on the table until they’re needed,” says Thomas Garvey, President of Garvey Corporation. “Then they can go out in single- or double-file, or in a mass flow, to feed whatever equipment is downstream.” For slower lines (up to 300 products per minute), this design is preferable to other accumulation solutions because of its lower cost.
The Garvey Bi-Flo difference
In the nearly four decades since Garvey invented bi-flow accumulation, several other solutions have entered the market. Here’s why the Garvey Bi-Flo is still considered the best in the industry:
- No jamming. The Bi-Flo’s design prevents it from jamming, whether products exit the system in single-file, double-file, or a mass flow.
- No dead plates. The conveyors lie flush with each other, resulting in no dead plates where products can trip.
- Easy changeover. The Bi-Flo uses UHMW guides so it’s easy to adjust the infeed and outfeed lanes to accommodate different diameter products.
The Garvey Bi-Flo Accumulation Table comes in widths ranging from 24 to 60 inches, so it can accumulate products of various shapes and sizes, from 5 ml glass vials, to rectangular plastic containers, to heavy wine bottles. It has a modular design, is constructed entirely of stainless steel, and uses UHMW guide rails, which means the table is expandable, cleanable, and adjustable.
The Garvey Bi-Flo Accumulation Table is currently being used by some of the world’s top nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage manufacturers. To learn more, visit the Garvey website or watch the Bi-Flo Accumulation Table in action on YouTube.
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About Garvey
For nearly 100 years, Garvey Corporation has been a leader in producing conveying, accumulating, and automation solutions that can help manufacturers increase throughput by up to 30%. Garvey’s line of solutions includes cutting-edge accumulation tables, rotary tables, conveyors, and more essentials to make your production lines more efficient. Visit Garvey online or follow the company on social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn.
Reference
1. Crumrine, D., and Post, D. (2006)Â When the true cost of downtime is unknown, bad decisions ensue. ISA.
Image Source: Featured photo credited to Garvey.com
