Conveyors worked example

Accumulation Capacity at 68% accumulation zone uptime: a worked example

Suppose accumulation zone uptime falls to 68%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate how many good parts an accumulation conveyor or buffer lane can hold after uptime and release-yield losses.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Usable accumulation positions: 180 part positions (held at the documented default)
  • Planned buffer turns per shift: 3 turns / shift (held at the documented default)
  • Accumulation zone uptime: 68 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 94)
  • Good release yield: 99 % (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Gross buffer capacity = usable accumulation positions × planned buffer turns.
  • Usable accumulation capacity works out to 364 parts at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Gross buffer positions handled works out to 540 parts at these inputs.
  • Positions lost to downtime works out to 173 parts at these inputs.
  • Positions lost to release rejects works out to 3.67 parts at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where accumulation zone uptime sits at 94% and the headline result is 503 parts, this scenario comes in 27.66% below the baseline at 364 parts.
  • It computes the usable accumulation capacity in parts per shift by multiplying buffer positions by planned turns, then derating for zone uptime and good release yield. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Usable accumulation capacity: 364 parts (headline result)
  • Gross buffer positions handled: 540 parts
  • Positions lost to downtime: 173 parts
  • Positions lost to release rejects: 3.67 parts

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Accumulation Capacity calculator, set accumulation zone uptime to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.