Solutions In Motion Blog - Cleveland Vibrator

Small Batch Screening is Still a Big Deal

By Jeff Hochadel

Apr 09

The typical customer who calls or emails with a process question has either hundreds of pounds per hour or tons of material per hour to screen. Although these may be the majority of the applications, I do get many inquiries where the customer only has to process maybe 20 or 30lbs/hr. (or less) but still needs a vibratory screener. These small-batch screening applications are sometimes a little more challenging to solve than the typical large-batch application. Some applications may require a much finer mesh, there’s not much room to work with, or the material is extremely valuable. Besides our standard screeners, we also have the capability to manufacture a special screener around the customer’s process. I don’t know how many times I have seen an overly large vibratory screener handling an application where a screener half the size would suffice.

So, we first need to determine how much material the customer plans on running through the screener per hour or per shift, then we need to determine the mesh size requirements. We need to answer two questions: Read More…

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Shaking It Out & Saving the Earth One K-Cup at a Time

By Katy Sabo

Mar 16

Being a mom, there are certain things in life I cannot live without. Obviously, Disney Junior and endless amount of toys make my life a lot easier but coffee gives me life. It sounds dramatic, I know, but any parent out there reading this knows exactly where I am coming from! We all have our vices and coffee is my kryptonite. I don’t discriminate when it comes to preparing java, whether it is from my favorite local roaster, my own coffee pot or that quick instant cup out of a Keurig, you can bet your bottom dollar not a drop will be left in my mug at day’s end.

Single-serve coffee cups have given a new meaning to coffee on-the-go. Even though the cost of the single-serve cup is proven to be higher overall than the standard coffee grounds, the savings in time makes it worth it for the die-hard caffeine addicts. Guilty as charged and with no shame at all, I am one of those addicts but the tree hugger side of me sticks to the old school Mr. Coffee maker every morning. My Keurig is on standby if I desperately need that afternoon pick-me-up and takes residence behind me in my office as I write this blog. I like sharing so it is “open to the public” during work hours for my fellow CVC comrades, but they provide their own goods! Coworkers know to discard their used K-cups into my recycling box but it made me wonder, how many other people think to recycle them? Read More…

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If Archie Bunker Designed Vibratory Equipment…

By CVC Team

Feb 22

When I joined the Cleveland Vibrator family, I had just graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and had no prior experience in the field of industrial vibration or vibrators. During the course of my formal education, I had one class that dealt with vibration, the focus of the class as I recall was how to eliminate it, certainly not how to use it to perform meaningful work. When I was hired on, my informal education into the world of industrial vibrators and vibration began. Just like coming into any family, you learn the way the family works, the teams they root for, the legends they admire and the folks to be avoided. I feel fortunate that I had some excellent family members to bring me up in the world of vibration.

When it comes to vibratory equipment there are many ways to introduce vibration into a structure and produce the desired results. You may be looking to use vibration to move bulk material from point A to point B, screen large particles from small or compact more material into a box. Read More…

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How Vibration Helps Improve Dust Collection Systems

By Mike Stratis

Jul 25

When dealing with dust collection systems, it is critical to regularly clean the collected dust out of the equipment. One of the methods to remove the accumulated dust is with the help of vibration. Where the vibration is applied, though, depends on the collection system installed. Standard installations that we see are:

Electrostatic Precipitators (ESP)
Baghouses
Cyclones

Photo Credit: Himenviro Environmental Technologies

Electrostatic Precipitators

First, we’ll discuss electrostatic precipitators. These are large systems that are frequently found at facilities, such as:

Pulp and paper or steel mills
Refineries
Concrete plants
Coal-fired power plants, just to name a few

The systems have a series of wires and plates that act as filters that rely on an electrostatic charge to pull dust particles from the air passing through the collection system. Keeping these wires and plates clean is imperative to the process because it helps increase the efficiency of the dust collection system.

This is where a Rapper comes into play.

The Cleveland Vibrator 3″ PMA Rapper is an air-powered piston vibrator that is installed on a mounting plate connected to a shaft to shake the wires and plates. This shaking process breaks the friction of the particulates clinging to the collection media. The dust then drops down to the collection hopper underneath. Once the material is in the collection hopper, an externally mounted piston vibrator or air knocker will remove the dust from the inside sloped walls of the hopper and to the discharge.

How to Design and Size a Vibratory Feeder Conveyor Based on Application Requirements

By CVC Team

Jun 06

vibratory feeder, vibratory conveyor, rendering vibratory feeder, pneumatic vibratory feeder, pneumatic feeder, air-powered feeder, industrial vibration, industrial vibrator — Figure 1. Air Powered Vibratory Feeder Conveyor

Along with our other vibratory equipment, vibratory feeders are great problem solvers. Feeders are well-known for their ability to move material from point A to point B effectively. However, a well-designed vibratory feeder offers flexibility to the end-user and increased safety and efficiency in the process.

Feeders can range from small base mounted CF-A, pneumatic powered feeders moving small quantities of dry bulk material in a controlled manner to a much larger base, as well as a cable-supported EMF, electromechanical feeder conveying literally tons of material an hour. This breadth of design capabilities allows our vibratory feeders to move material effectively in various industries for many different applications.

For example, we have incorporated vibratory feeders into the processes of these materials and more:

Almonds
Crushed Limestone
Shelled Corn
Powdered Metal
Metal Billets

Various Pipe Fittings
Scrap Brass and Bronze
Crushed and Shredded Automobiles
Hot Dross

We work with a variety of industries feeding an endless variety of materials!

Can You Operate 460/3/60 Industrial Electric Vibrators at 380/3/50?

By Jack Steinbuch

Jun 05

Rotary electric motors, Industrial Vibration, Industrial Vibrators, The Cleveland Vibrator Company, Uras Techno, Vibratory Motor

I’ve noticed increased requests for operating stock U.S. rotary electric (motor) vibrators that are wound for 460/3/60 power overseas, where the power is often 380/3/50. The good news is, there are two options available to operate a rotary electric vibrator with this power rating.

First is the realization that you can operate a 460/3/60 vibrator using 380/3/50 power. It works due to de-rating the higher voltage 60 Hz motor since 50 Hz power rotates the eccentric weights at a lower RPM (rotations per minute) by a factor of 50/60. For example, an 1800 RPM vibrator would run at 50/60 x 1800 = 1500 RPM.

We can also apply this logic to voltage. So, a 460-volt motor would be de-rated to 383 volts by multiplying the 60Hz voltage by the same factor of 50/60. Therefore, due to 50Hz input, a 60Hz vibrator will accept 380 volts ± 10% without jeopardizing the motor.

Note: Due to the eccentric weights rotating at a lower RPM, the force output will experience roughly a 30% decrease.

The exact amount of reduction is the square of the factor provided above for determining the lower RPM of the vibrator due to 50Hz.

4 Construction Features to Consider When Choosing Rotary Electric Vibrators for Vibratory Equipment or Material Flow Applications

By Craig Macklin

Apr 20

Have you ever had someone try to push you over from your side? I recall skiing with my big brother once when we were kids. We had gotten off the chair lift and were stopped at the top of a run, getting ready to head down. I was standing with skis closely together in parallel, hands off my poles as I adjusted my goggles. Big brother gave me a push on my shoulder from the side, perpendicular to the direction of my stance and skis. I tipped right over. There was nothing I could do about it. It was hilarious… at least it was to him and everyone watching me flail about wildly on my way down. Had I positioned my skis and stance wider and center of gravity lower, I could have avoided this embarrassing failure.

rotary electric vibrator, eccentric weights

Figure 1. Rotary Electric Vibrator Shaft

Such is as it is with Rotary Electric Vibratory Motors. Imagine for a moment that you have a long bar going right through your solar plexus and out of the middle of your back. Now that you are over that painful thought, imagine that at each end of the bar, there is a weight dangling from a rope and swinging around that bar. Those weights are pushing you in every direction perpendicular to your feet and stance. You are now a Rotary Electric Vibrator! Can’t quite get the mental picture? Check out the photo to the right to see what I am talking about. Read More…
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How to Choose the Best Truck Trailer Vibrators Based on the Material You’re Hauling

By CVC Team

Apr 07

Are you hauling a sticky material, such as DDG or soybean meal, in a hopper bottom trailer? Maybe carrying gravel or asphalt in a dump trailer? What about fertilizer in a v-body spreader?

The reason we ask this information when working with clients is that the material characteristics play a major role in determining the best type of vibrator to help quickly and safely unload the trailer. There is a big difference between unloading sticky DDG’s from a hopper bottom trailer compared to cleaning out the hopper bottom that was carrying whole potatoes or other free-flowing materials like corn and wheat. Read More…
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Installing Vibratory Aids on Equipment: What Are My Options?

By CVC Team

Apr 06

It seems to me that most applications start with a problem to solve; improve a process, simplify an operation, increase yield or throughput, or remove a bottleneck. This problem could be as simple as placing the appropriate size pneumatic piston vibrator on the side of a hopper. It could entail getting the right air-cushioned vibrator such as the 1200 VMSAC or maybe a single impacting SI vibrator along with the matching SMP mounting channel and controls. Or the problem could be broader with concerns regarding the process or task to be accomplished and the design envelope into which the solution must fit and then interface with other equipment.

Regardless of the problem, options and choices are always good.

cleveland vibrator vibratory conveyor, electric vibratory conveyor, electric vibratory feeder

Uras Techno Rotary Electric Vibrators Placed Below the Table Deck

Often with equipment one of the first things that comes up in initial discussions is the design height or discharge height of the unit. With vibratory feeders (EMF) and screeners (EMS) there’s always a concern about the product discharge height, as the equipment is often feeding material downstream to other devices. One of the options that impact the design and therefore the height of the unit is the location of the vibrators. Typically on vibratory feeders and screeners, the default Read More…

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Tighten Those Bolts!

By Mike Stratis

Mar 13

If you happened to take the time to read Craig Macklin’s blog, about the expectations for maintenance of the pneumatic vibrators, then you’ll have a good base of knowledge on how to keep those units running efficiently. This time, we’ll take a deeper dive into the importance of tightening the mounting bolts used for installing the vibrators themselves.

On the pneumatic piston vibrators, the proper bolt torque is critical. Because of the tight tolerance held between the outside diameter of the piston and the inside diameter of the bore of the casted body, the vibrator needs to be rigidly bolted in place to allow for correction operation so that only the piston is moving inside the vibrator. If the bolts are loose, even slightly, the vibrator body will “rock” back and forth on the mounting channel. Once this starts happening, failures or seized pistons can happen.

Why does this happen? The reason is, the piston will still try to move in a pure linear direction but if Read More…
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Electrostatic Precipitators

For example, we have incorporated vibratory feeders into the processes of these materials and more:

Note: Due to the eccentric weights rotating at a lower RPM, the force output will experience roughly a 30% decrease.

Solutions in Motion!

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