Industrial Vibrator Beat

Temperatures Are Rising…So Are Moisture Content Percentages

Temperatures Are Rising…So Are Moisture Content Percentages

By Mike Stratis

Jun 01

Now that we are past Memorial Day weekend, and thank you to all that have served, are serving or will serve our country, the summer months are upon us. For some, and depending where you live, these are the best parts of the year, namely, because of the warmer temperatures. While we enjoy the extra hours of sunlight and are exposed to more vitamin D, Mother Nature can have a serious effect on manmade structures. This is certainly the case for Texas and Oklahoma right now as many cities in this part of the country have experienced record rain falls for the month of May. This amount of rain can often be attributed to the rise in moisture content within the atmosphere.

So, why is this important for industrial vibration? Good question. 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.

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The Importance of Proper Installation of Industrial Vibrators

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:

When Two Vibrators are Better than One

By Mike Stratis

Mar 02

Hello, world! First-time blogger here, so go easy on me. If you are reading this, I’d like to say thank you. Hopefully, the next few minutes help you choose and install the optimal number of industrial vibrators for your application, and give you plenty of #vibrationeducation!

In my 7+ years with The Cleveland Vibrator Company, I’ve been lucky enough to learn from some of the most experienced in the industry. Glen Roberts has learned and thus forgotten, more than I’ll ever know about pneumatic industrial vibrators. Jack Steinbuch can size vibratory equipment in his sleep. David Strong can design anything these two toss on his desk (or in his inbox). They have more than twice my age in combined years at The Cleveland Vibrator Company between the three of them.

That’s a lot of vibrators!

Ah! The Good “Old” Days at the Cleveland Vibrator Company

By CVC Team

Feb 09

When you have been around a company as long as I have, you look back at times and reflect on how the products you offer and a even how your workforce interacted with each other has changed compared to the same workplace of the 21^st century. After thinking back, I wanted to mention a few of the lighter moments from the 1970’s and some of the pranks we used to pull on each other. Let’s start with a few humorous moments on testing new products and repairs of larger Foundry Flask Vibrators.

In the early 1970’s, Cleveland Vibrator picked up another product line called “Air Blasters” or “Air Cannons”. They were basically welded tanks with an inside rubber bladder which was inflated with air from 80 to 100 PSI and you would release the pressurized air using a pressure relief valve thru a 4 to 6” diameter discharge pipe. This would send a blast of air into a large bin or silo to break up large collections of grain that had adhered itself to the inside walls. We ordered and received our first unit and of course had to test it before shipping to our valued customer. Read More…
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Customer Service is Not a Department, It’s an Attitude.

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…
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#MFGis: The American Worker

By CVC Team

Jan 05

Made in America, American Made, Made in the USA and my favorite Made with American Pride. We have all heard these words or seen them affixed to many great products manufactured by the greatest workforce in the world. “THE AMERICAN WORKER.” I’ve spent the majority of my 45 plus years being around manufacturing and have experienced the sense of accomplishment to produce a quality product that you can be proud of. This feeling cannot be measured in dollars and cents but in one word “PRIDE”. It’s still here and we just need to see it and believe in the fact we have the most talented work force out of any other country on this globe. We used have a sign that hung in our manufacturing area that simply read “Build It As If You Would Buy It,” and we added “If You Wouldn’t Buy It, Then Don’t Ship It.” I’m sure lots of companies have the same types of sayings hanging in their manufacturing facilities. The process of making a part, having it go into an assembly, then seeing it work for the first time has to give a sense of pride to the maker. Read More…
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#MFGis: Just a Girl from Cleveland

By Cleveland Vibrator Team

Dec 23

If you are familiar with the Twitter-Sphere, you may have a general understanding of “trending topics” or know what I mean by #TT. If not, there is some free social media education of the day for you. One of the best parts of my job is being the voice on social media networks for Cleveland Vibrator (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, etc.). Recently, during my “Market Research Session” on Twitter, I found a really awesome trending topic provided by SME also known as Society of Manufacturing Engineers. #MFGis is a social media awareness campaign to help students, educators, professionals and companies tell their stories of “what manufacturing is” through storytelling, social media and multimedia. This has sparked some inspiration to share my journey into the world of Industrial Vibrator Manufacturing.

Throughout my college experience at The University of Akron, many ideas of what I wanted to do with my career entered into my head and quickly exited after delving into the different options a little more deeply. I ended up in the School of Communications and chose to match my degree with a Sales & Marketing Minor. Judging by those credentials, one would think that I would end up working in a corporate office somewhere between Cleveland and Akron. To a degree, that did happen. Read More…
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It’s High Noon Partner With Our Pistol Grip Vibrator

It’s High Noon Partner With Our Pistol Grip Vibrator

By CVC Team

Dec 15

Over the course of 90+ years, we have developed several types of portable air piston vibrators. Some have long since ridden off into the sunset, and some are still used today.

The Pistol Grip Vibrator

The Pistol Grip vibrator was one of those handheld units from the late ’60s to early ’70s that was successfully developed mainly because a customer said, “I need this and if you build it we will buy it.” Cleveland Vibrator did build it, and they did buy it. However, it turned out to be one of those limited edition models with a higher price tag, and folks used other more standard units for similar applications. This model was used for a precast concrete form application, and the customers would walk around and place the vibrator against the form at selected spots to settle the concrete and remove air bubbles which would generate a better-finished product. The main feature of this unit was the ability to carry it in your hand and not have it vibrate until you squeezed the trigger. Plus, the handle had a rubber grip helping to isolate the vibration force from the operator.

Cleveland Vibrator has a lot of things to be thankful for…

By Cleveland Vibrator Team

Nov 24

In light of this week’s Thanksgiving Holiday, I thought I would take a minute to share a few thoughts with our loyal movers and shakers.

Personally, this past year has given me many blessings to be thankful for (i.e. graduating from Akron, getting engaged and moving into the next chapter of life) but I truly believe that being given the opportunity to work for Cleveland Vibrator was the beginning of the “good vibe train” life has thrown my way. Over the span of one short year, I have gained so much from coming to work day in and day out here at Cleveland Vibrator. One can only appreciate the great perks of working for a smaller company simply by experiencing it for themselves. So here’s a few things we are thankful for… Read More…
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Vibratory Sizing: Rocky Balboa Inspiration & Railcar Vibrators

Vibratory Sizing: Rocky Balboa Inspiration & Railcar Vibrators

By CVC Team

Nov 17

Railcar unloading can be a difficult task depending contributing factors such as the type of material, size, moisture content, if the material is frozen, or if it was compacted during shipment, just to name a few. Add to the fact the weather could change from transportation to delivery point, this creates an interesting sizing situation. At Cleveland Vibrator, we use our 1350 VMRR Vibrator as the “one size fits all” unit for rail car unloading. We realize that at times, our valued customers may require a vibrator or vibrators with a little more or less force and may even require a unit that operates at a lower noise level. Cleveland Vibrator understands our customer needs may have changed from what was used ten, twenty or thirty years ago. Tried and true methods of that era may need to be changed to accommodate new rail car designs.

In the past, most rail cars were steel and fitted with dove tailed female brackets either at the factory or in the field to accept the male wedge type railcar vibrators. This is still one of the preferred way to vibrate material out of rail cars even today. Read More…
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Solutions in Motion!

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