GOT VA? Compact Automated On-Off Valve used in Milking Parlors

When I sat down to write my weekly blog post, I was looking for inspiration. Many of our products are used in typical industrial type applications.When I think of butterfly valves, I think of large line water applications; plug valves– chemical applications. I wanted to highlight the not so typical use of our products and then I thought of the VA Series,  a compact automated on-off valve. This coaxial style series is unique in its high-cycle life and compactness, which lends itself as the ideal valve for a variety of applications.

Most of us eat and drink the food we buy with absolutely no thought given to how those products arrive on the ever expanding grocery store shelves. Take a glass of milk for example. How does a glass of delicious cold milk begin its journey into that little plastic jug?

The process begins in a milking parlor, the single most important part of a dairy farm. This is where the cows get milked and is also the place where farmers have the most control to minimize illness and to maximize milk quality through good sanitation.

Before the cows are brought into the parlor, all pipes and equipment must be cleaned and sanitized to ensure top quality products. The cows are then often rinsed and dried, enter into the milking parlor, attached to automated milking machines, milked, and released.  The decks and gutters are then flushed to remove any dirt or waste, a bit of a process given that most cows are milked two to three times a day-a very demanding job for both animal and equipment.

Dairy farmers find the VA Valve is the perfect solution for their waste removal systems used to flush the parlor decks and gutters. The VA Series combines a pneumatic actuator and fast on-off control valve into one body eliminating packing glands, actuators and mounting kits, making it the perfect solution for tight spaces.

There are no exposed moving parts, eliminating pinch points and increasing operator safety. Since the actuator is part of the valve, costs are greatly reduced when compared to standard actuated valves. The operating life of the VA has been tested to well over 1,000,000 cycles, as its balanced design reduces friction and wear, making it the perfect solution for a highly demanding job in the milking parlor.

View the VA Series Overview Video

The VA Series by Assured Automation- Just another way we make Automation Easy!