Vibratory feeding, also known as vibratory conveying, offers
low-maintenance parts and material handling, as vibratory conveyors and
bowls use no moving parts except the vibrating drive installed beneath
the bowl or feeder pan, away from contaminating materials. There are two
main types of vibrating feeders: vibratory bowl feeders and vibratory
conveyors. Vibratory bowl feeders, also known as vibratory bowls or
centrifugal feeders, are a type of parts feeder used in parts
manufacturing to align finished or semifinished parts for final
processing or packaging. Vibratory conveyors encompass a wider range of
troughs, vibrating screens and trommel screens which convey and/or sort
bulk materials during processing. Rotary feeders, also known as rotary
airlocks or rotary valves, occupy a third category by providing
air-tight bulk material feeding into screw conveyors or vibratory
conveyors. Linear feeders, also referred to as inline feeders, are
typically used to convey parts in a consistent flow from bowl feeders
over short to relatively long distances in a vibratory linear motion.
Vibratory
bowl feeders are used extensively by small parts manufacturers as an
extremely efficient means of orienting products for further finishing or
for distribution. Originally designed by pharmaceutical companies to
count, sort and organize pills, bowl feeders also orient fasteners,
ammunition, o-rings, molded rubber parts, toothpaste caps and many other
small parts for packaging or finishing. Vibratory conveyors, screens
and trommels are used for powder and bulk material handling in a range
of industries, including pharmaceutical, agricultural and food
processing. Recycling industries use vibratory conveyors extensively to
convey and sort materials such as plastic, wood, crushed cement and
metals for reclamation, while fertilizer, sand and gravel, mining and
pulp industries use trommel screens and vibrating screens to convey,
sift and sort. A particularly powerful type of vibrating screen is a
grizzly screen, which is most often used in the mining industry. Rotary
airlock feeders often accompany vibratory conveyor systems, particularly
when conveying powder bulk solids. Rotary feeders are often used in
conjunction with dust collecting systems to convey collected waste dust
into disposal areas or reclamation processing. Electromagnetic vibratory
feeders are one of the two main types of vibratory feeders in terms of
how they are powered, the other being electromechanical vibratory
feeders which are typically driven by a motor supported by either an
eccentric crank or eccentric weights.
Similar to VB series
electric vibrator
finishing bowls, bowl feeders are metal, silicone or plastic bowls
equipped with a vibrating drive beneath the bowl, where the bowl is
mounted to the base. A ramped ridge runs up along the edge of the bowl
in a spiral, leading to the outfeed area. Bowl feeders vibrate in a
circular motion, driving parts up the ridge, which is usually designed
for a specific part; it narrows as it reaches the outfeed, forcing parts
to form a single-file uniform line. Washers, o-rings, legos, coins and
an unlimited number other small parts are quickly and flawlessly aligned
for counting and packaging by being dumped into the center of the bowl
feeder. Vibratory conveyors are metal troughs which vibrate in one
direction, conveying powder bulk solids or heterogenous mixtures from
one process to another. Some vibratory conveyors have ultra-low
vibrations designed specifically for solids which are delicate, sticky
or may liquefy, such as gummy bears or lettuce. Trommels, or trommel
screens are vibrating screens which help sort small particles from large
particles. Rotary trommels, a large tumbler design, aid in gravel
processing and recycling; trommel magnets are often used in conjunction
with metal recycling rotary trommels to help sort ferrous materials from
non-ferrous materials. Continuous flatbed trommels may have screens or
filtering devices which sort particles of different sizes as large
particles are conveyed to containment or further processing.
There
are many advantages to incorporating VB series
electric vibrators into various
industry processes. For instance, parts feeders provide a cost-effective
alternative to manual labor, saving manufacturers valuable time and
labor costs. One operator can oversee a number of automated machines, as
opposed to one worker hand loading one machine. Bowl feeders align,
count and sort small parts far more quickly, effectively and accurately
than could be done by hand; this also provides an ergonomic solution to
monotonous and physically strenuous sorting tasks. Vibratory conveyors
present alternatives for powder bulk solids and heterogeneous mixtures
which are too delicate, or difficult to convey by pneumatic conveying,
screw conveying or belt conveying. Friable or sticky powder bulk solids
which would normally cake or agglomerate during screw or pneumatic
conveying flow evenly on vibratory conveyors. Trommel screens and rotary
trommels cut down on the huge amount of labor required to sort
recyclable materials, an important step in making recycling a
cost-effective part of manufacturing processes.
