In this pandemic, manufacturers have been called on to help make items critical to stopping the spread of, or help with the treatment of, the virus.  Namely, our nation needs an increased focus on the manufacturing of PPE, cleaning products, and ventilators.  Well, we at Cleveland Vibrator Company are a manufacturer. However, we don’t have the capability to make masks, sanitizers, or ventilators.  We are proud to be deemed essential and contributing to keeping the production and transportation of key goods intact.  But we want to be doing more to directly contribute to stopping the spread.  So, we were inspired to think of products and projects that have helped customers reduce the density of workers in a small area and could now apply to enable safe distancing on processing and production floors.  Here is a couple: 

Application #1: Bulk Food Packaging  

Production conveyor line without the use of vibratory equipment – Cleveland Vibrator Company

In packaging bulk foods such as frozen onion rings, bagels, or meat patties, typically there is a step between the box filling station and the close and seal station to settle the product.  When the box gets filled with products, especially odd-sized items, the product tends to cone so that amount of product that by weight is supposed to fill the box, is in a mound that exceeds the height of the box.  Often, this settling is handled manually by workers standing shoulder to shoulder at the conveyor between the filling and close and seal to shake the boxes and get the products evenly settled.     

Cleveland Vibrator has worked with many frozen food producers to successfully eliminate this manual step with a Vibratory Belt Table (BT), a section of belt conveyor with a vibratory table that automatically settles products in boxes while it is conveyed.   

In a recent project, a company that produces frozen croissants was looking to automate their packaging process. Their design load required 90 lbs. max capacity that would successfully convey and vibrate 3 boxes of product weighing 30 lbs. at a time. We designed and manufactured a 14” wide by 48” long vibratory belt table powered by two Uras Techno Model KEE-5-6 Rotary Electric Vibrators to fit the needs of their application. 

According to healthline.com, the U.S. average shoulder width of a man is 16 inches and 14 inches for a woman. So, without this BT, on a 48” long conveyor line, this would have required 3-4 average-sized people standing side by side shaking out the boxes prior to the sealing process.    

Vibratory Belt Conveyor Tables are designed to settle and pack materials while it conveys to optimize operations in the packaging of bulk materials and are engineered in order to fit seamlessly into automated or semi-automated production lines. In a nutshell, this piece of Fabricated Vibratory Equipment is proven to:    

• Reduce the manual efforts in production  
• Cut packaging and handling costs  
• Simultaneously settle and transports products to closing and sealing machine  
• Improve production rates  

Application #2: Bulk Material Loading into Hoppers, Mixers, etc.  

Picture 2-3 people making multiple trips to dump loads of bulk materials into a hopper or mixer opening. This would require multiple passes to fill the hopper entirely and, depending on the space allotted in that area, close human contact from bumping into each other is likely.  Moreover, it could increase production times due to workers having to wait for others to leave the area.   

What if there was a better approach that would not require individuals to be near one another as well as streamline the production process? Cleveland Vibrator has worked with many companies across various industries to overcome issues such as these. 

One company was in need of a self-contained vibratory piece of equipment that would provide consistent material conveying rates and reduce the amount of manpower needed in that part of the production. They manufactured 6 tons of screws and stampings product per hour which indicated the flow rate required for this piece of equipment to successfully provide the solution they needed.  

Cleveland Vibrator engineered and manufactured a vibratory hopper feeder with a 30” by 73” feed tray and a 36 cubic foot bulk supply hopper attached to the unit. It was fitted with a pivoting gate that would help control the flow from the hopper to the desired rate based on the product running through production. The unit was also fitted with urethane liners that would help preserve the integrity of the feed tray due to the harsh finish of the product, reduce the noise level of metal parts and protect parts for example that have threading were also included. 

This all-in-one unit allowed for products to be loaded directly into the hopper, which ultimately would only require one to two individuals, a dump hopper, and a tow motor.  

Vibratory Hopper Feeders are used to meter material into batch hoppers or mixers, promoting consistent product flow and reduced manual efforts. You can replace the team of 3 with one individual loading a tote or Gaylord of ingredients into a box dumper that lifts and dumps into the bulk supply hopper of the hopper feeder.  They are compact, self-contained units, that incorporate an integrated bulk supply hopper and a vibratory feeder. The integrated bulk supply hopper provides better material flow out of the hopper at a much lower dump height. The RFM model enables controlled and reliable bulk flow and ensures efficient, low-cost dumping and feeding capabilities into the production process. Other benefits include:  

• Accurate ingredient flow into batches  
• Improved production rates  
• Faster, more streamlined production lines  
• Are engineered as an all-in-one unit for low maintenance  

These are just a few examples of how implementing vibratory equipment into your facility can promote a safe working environment and adhere to social distancing protocols as our world navigates this uncharted territory of operation during a pandemic.   

Want more information about how vibratory equipment can help promote safety and social distancing in your facility? We are here to help! Contact our team today. 

Special note: We are not encouraging staff reduction and contributing to the U.S. unemployment rate. Rather, we are promoting using vibration to reduce the number of bodies in one area and optimizing the manpower available in other areas of your facility that may need it.