customer service Archives

Frequently Asked Questions About Rotary Electric Vibration

By Steve Chinn

Nov 12

In 1923, The Cleveland Vibrator Company began its journey in the exciting world of industrial vibration, specifically the use of pneumatic powered options for foundry applications. As we ventured into other industries, we noticed a new trend: the demand for electric-powered motors.

Soon after, we decided it was time to explore this exciting new opportunity and set out to find a partner specializing in electric-powered vibration. We eventually partnered with an outside company to supply this demand from our customer base. As with any new venture, we experienced a few hiccups along the way; lead times were too long, insufficient force options available, and the lack of “Cleveland Vibrator Quality” our customers came to expect.

The Evolution of Industrial Vibrators: From Pneumatics to Electric Powered Vibrators in the 20th Century

By CVC Team

Dec 19

The Cleveland Vibrator Company started manufacturing air-operated vibrators in 1923 and for several years air vibrators are all we pretty much offered. This worked well in our primary foundry customer base through the first half of the 20th century. As we expanded our customer base, we found more and more customers wanting to use electrical power to operate the industrial vibrators. It became obvious that we needed to give our sales staff an alternate source besides air to offer our valued customers.

We started with fairly basic electromagnetic vibrators with the MC-1, MC-2, etc. and started to introduce these units into the marketplace. The MC series is considered the “grandfather” to our current CM-5, CM-10, and CM-30 and more recent Super 30 vibrators. You can see a success story of this product in the field in the case study on the right-hand side of this paragraph. In the early ’60s, we contracted with a company from Sweden called Dynapac to market and sell their rotary electric vibrators mostly here in North America. They were supplied in 1800 RPM and 3600 RPM (revolutions per minute) which opened the door to customers having hoppers, bins, chutes, bunkers as well as other applications which include vibratory tables, feeder, and screeners. Read More…
Share this blog post:

What Are the Costs Associated with Installing Pneumatic Vibrators?

By Mike Stratis

Jul 25

When it comes time to review solutions to the material flow problems inside the hopper, pipe, or chute, there are a few things to keep in mind when putting together a budget for the project. Besides the vibratory flow aid itself, there are additional components required before installing the unit. We will discuss these items and estimated costs of acquiring these components. Here is the shortlist:

Industrial vibrator – pneumatic piston vibrator, single impact air knocker, pneumatic turbine vibrator, pneumatic ball vibrator
Safety cable
Mounting channel or plate
Hose to connect the vibrator to the on/off valve
On/off valve
Hose to connect on/off valve to air prep component (filter/regulator or filter/regulator/lubricator)
Lubricant (if necessary)

Depending on the size of the hopper or piece of equipment that the pneumatic vibrator is going to be installed on, the price of the vibrator itself can range from about $100 to as much as $10,000. But, within that range, the vast majority of the units are going to be between $100-$1000. Read More…

Mike Stratis

Mike joined The Cleveland Vibrator Company team in 2013 with prior experience in manufacturing sales with a Cleveland company in the tool and die industry. Now, he’s the Director of Sales and specializes in “making stuff that shakes stuff”.

When he’s not immersed in the world of industrial vibration, as rare as that might be, Mike keeps busy *not finishing in last place* in Fantasy Football and enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids. It’s always golf season for Mike, and he’s been known to 3 putt his way around any course and can roll tee balls in rain or shine. You can find him tailgating in the Muni Lot before Browns games or supporting local breweries.

As an avid provider of #VibrationEducation, he offers this free bit of advice, “Not all vibration is the same. Force and frequency do matter!” However, there is a 2% upcharge for all Michigan and Steeler’s fans.

Share this blog post:

Niche Business, It’s What We Do

By CVC Team

Mar 21

All organizations that have stayed in business for many years have “go-to folks” they depend on when difficult situations or tough problems arise that need to be taken care of. For example, how many times have we watched a football game and experienced the quarterback take his team 90 yards in under two minutes to win a game or the linebacker or safety make that key tackle or interception for a last minute victory? If you root for every team but the Browns, we’re sure you’ve experienced this enough to know the importance the role these key players fulfill. These are go to folks and it is no different in the business world, especially here at The Cleveland Vibrator Co.

I think we are blessed with several go to folks on our team. When a customer calls Cleveland Vibrator, they are not just talking to a sales associate but to engineering, manufacturing, purchasing, marketing, shipping and yes, even our owners from time to time. I believe this collectively makes Cleveland Vibrator a “go to company” for many special applications. I call this our “NICHE” business and feel it has been one of Cleveland Vibrator’s strengths, even before I was given the opportunity to join the team in 1968. Read More…
Share this blog post:

Vibration Force: Is Faster Actually Better?

By CVC Team

Nov 09

I have attached some photographs of a couple vibrators returned to Cleveland Vibrator for evaluation over the past year. It’s pretty clear that these units were not operated as per our operation manuals would instruct. Human nature causes us to try and make something work better or faster, we are the products of an an instant gratification way of life. We believe that products can work up to our lofty expectations even though we know it will work best to follow instructions in a user’s manual and to operate the product as instructed. As we used to hear at the beginning of the Six Million Dollar Man TV show many years past,”We have the technology to make it bigger, faster and stronger.” This hold true in many cases, especially relating to air piston vibrators, we shorten the life of the vibrator by believing we can use such technologies to override suggested operating specs. Read More…
Share this blog post:

How to Properly Adjust the Eccentric Weight on your Rotary Electric Vibrator

By CVC Team

Sep 08

In a recent blog, we talked about the importance of “Counter rotation and synchronization” in the successful operation and maintenance of vibratory equipment. Now, we will touch on what you should do to properly adjust the eccentric weights on your rotary electric industrial vibrator. Although these steps are straightforward, they are crucial to the operation and longevity of the vibrator. Properly setting your eccentric weights can assist in keeping your equipment and vibratory investment free from damage. This is a great opportunity for us to expand on this subject, and, to be honest, we just LOVE spreading #VibrationEducation!

How to calculate vibratory force?

First, let’s delve into everyone’s favorite subject: Math. Understanding these concepts can help explain why setting your eccentric weights is important, and how it impacts your industrial vibrator and equipment. Any type of rotating vibrator, that includes rotary electric (RE), ball, or turbine vibrators generate their vibratory force by rotating a mass around the center of the unit or shaft. The force produced is dependent on three parameters:

Weight of the rotating mass
The distance of the center of gravity of that mass from the center of rotation
The rotational speed

3 Ways To Measure The Strike Force Of A Pneumatic Vibrator

By CVC Team

Jun 22

Recently the sales team forwarded the following question from a customer –

“We use some of your impulse piston vibrators to fill molds with powder. Do you have a recommendation for a way to measure the strike force such as a G-force meter or Accelerometer? Any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated.”

This seems like a pretty straight forward question but upon closer inspection, it gets a bit more complex. So let’s break it down and look at the pieces of the question. It’s always important to make sure we’re on the same page in our understanding of the question and terminology used. Read More…
Share this blog post:

The Importance of Proper Installation of Industrial Vibrators

By Mike Stratis

Apr 13

“If you don’t have the time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it again?”
– John Wooden, former UCLA Men’s Basketball Coach and Presidential Medal of Freedom award winner.

We have a few frequently asked questions regarding bin vibrators, many of which revolve around how to install the unit. Here is the down and dirty:

Customer Service is Not a Department, It’s an Attitude.

By CVC Team

Jan 12

I was processing a very nice order from one of our resale accounts in Texas and it reminded me of how we lost then re-acquired them and they have now become one of our better accounts. They started with Cleveland Vibrator back in 1994 and would order industrial vibrators here and there up to 1999, then simply vanished off our radar. Seven years later, in 2006, they contacted our marketing person at that time about purchasing weight covers for Rotary Electric Vibrators. I believe these motors were used on dewatering screeners. From what it would seem, one of our competitors would not supply this company with the weight covers and only wanted to sell them the complete drive motor. This simply doesn’t work since the weight covers serve two very important functions. One is to keep impurities and foreign matter out of the electric vibrator, not allowing the accumulation of the matter on the weights. Two, the covers act as a safety shield from anyone coming in to contact with the rotating eccentric weights. Read More…
Share this blog post:

customer service

How to calculate vibratory force?

Solutions in Motion!

Tags