Electromechanical Feeders

How Hoppers Can Improve Performance of Feeders & Screeners

How Hoppers Can Improve Performance of Feeders & Screeners

By Jack Steinbuch

Jul 28

Hoppers can aid in the performance of material handling equipment, plus provide health and safety benefits for your workforce. To begin, we will review the advantages hoppers can provide to improve the performance of feeders and screeners for bulk loading applications.

RFM electromechanical hopper feeder Side loading — Hopper

Okay, so what is a hopper?

Hoppers can be stationary with steeply sloping walls to allow free-flowing material to discharge onto the feed tray. Due to their steep walls, these hoppers can have a high dump height, depending on the volume. For lower dump heights and/or poor flowing materials, a vibrating hopper is a great solution. The hopper is attached to the vibrating body and the vibrators are then upsized to compensate for the increase in vibrating weight. The material is fed from the hopper onto the equipment.

Reduce the Noise Level on Your Vibratory Equipment

By Jack Steinbuch

Jul 15

OSHA specifies that a hearing conservation program should be in place when “noise exposure is at or above 85 decibels averaged over 8 working hours, or an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA)”. This can be an issue for some vibratory equipment. However, we have selections available that will reduce noise levels which can result in many positives for your facility (OSHA).

For example, did you know investing in noise-reducing vibration can lead to an increase in productivity and overall safety? High noise levels can lead to short- and long-term physical damage including ringing ears, temporary changes in hearing, and long-term hearing damage or loss. But, less commonly known, it can also put a strain on your pocket by reducing productivity, contributing to poor communication and concentration, and can even contribute to workplace accidents by limiting your employee’s ability to understand speech (OSHA).

Since there is a wide variety of vibratory equipment, for this blog, we will focus on “brute force” vibratory equipment. The vibrating body is directly installed on the equipment and is driven by a vibrator or dual motors, and the supporting structure is isolated from the vibrating body. Now let us look at potential ways to reduce their noise level:

How to Adhere to Social Distancing Protocols & Promote Safety During a Pandemic Using Vibration 

By Cleveland Vibrator Team

May 22

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 

conveyor graphic cleveland vibrator company

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.   Read More…
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How to Design and Size a Vibratory Feeder Conveyor Based on Application Requirements

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!

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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3 Variables to Consider That Influence Material Flow from Vibratory Hopper Feeders

3 Variables to Consider That Influence Material Flow from Vibratory Hopper Feeders

By CVC Team

Jan 10

When it comes to a vibratory hopper feeder and end-user requirements, The Cleveland Vibrator Company has worked with customers that span the range from simply wanting to increase material flow from point A to point B to more precise applications sending bulk material to downstream processes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjeHeUauwF4

Customer Example

For example, we had the opportunity to visit a local customer and assist him with setting up a hopper feeder unit. Their goal was to place a dry material into plastic trays while they moved on a conveyor under the feeder. Precise metering of the dry material into the trays is critical to this customer’s success.

It seemed this would be an excellent opportunity to discuss material flow and the impacting parameters. As mentioned, the equipment provided by The Cleveland Vibrator Company is a vibrator hopper feeder. The hopper is a stationary non-vibrating hopper with an adjustable slide gate. The vibratory feeder utilizes two rotary electric vibrators. A variable frequency drive (VFD) with a dynamic brake resistor controls the vibrators.

Manufacturing Solutions, From Start to Finish.

By CVC Team

May 10

Cleveland Vibrator recently added a new employee in the Fabricated Equipment area of the company. At the end of 2015 our CEO declared that 2016 would be a “year of investment” here in terms of both people and equipment. It’s exciting to see this sort of thing happening, good people coming on board as well as some new CNC equipment on the immediate horizon. It all makes Cleveland Vibrator a better company. While getting to know a bit about our new guy in the Fab area, we talked some about his work experience and the opportunity at Cleveland Vibrator. One of the things he already likes about the position is that he gets to see a piece of equipment completely manufactured, start to finish. I told him that’s one of the things that I’ve always enjoyed about my job, getting to be involved with the complete process often starting with the solution concept generation phase to final testing of that solution prior to it shipping out to the customer.

I think most engineers are problem solvers and that’s one of the aspects of this profession that they find interesting and rewarding. That’s certainly the case for me. I’ve always found the diversity of Cleveland Vibrator’s customers and their problems very interesting. Plus, I feel that we have a very “intimate” manufacturing process, it’s all here in one location. Whether it’s the manufacture of a pneumatic piston vibrator, as an example the 1300 VMSAC, air cushion vibrator piston vibrator or a large vibratory feeder Read More…
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What’s the Difference Between Attached & Unattached Volumetric Hopper Designs for Vibratory Equipment?

What’s the Difference Between Attached & Unattached Volumetric Hopper Designs for Vibratory Equipment?

By CVC Team

Apr 04

Generally speaking, in life, choices are a good thing. This applies to industrial vibrators and vibrating equipment as much as it does for lunch time options. In terms of fabricated vibratory equipment, Cleveland Vibrator offers a variety of solutions to processing and material handling problems. Regardless if the need is for a vibratory feeder, screener, compaction table or vibratory belt table, our sales and application folks are up to the challenge of solving the particular needs and requirements of our diverse customer base. As I mentioned in earlier blogs, when it comes to vibratory equipment, one size in fact doesn’t fit all. Rarely do one customer’s particular requirements match up exactly with another customer’s, the solution may be similar in type but not in exact physical size. Tailoring to meet the individual needs of each customer is part of the Cleveland Vibrator fabricated equipment DNA.

One of the many types of fabricated equipment manufactured by The Cleveland Vibrator Company is the volumetric feeder. Internally, they are generally referred to as Hopper Feeders, RFM, these units can be pneumatic or electric powered. The key design element is that a vibratory feeder has a storage hopper associated with it which accepts and stores dumps of material and then feeds the material out of the hopper in a controlled manner. Read More…
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It’s Complicated, or Is It? The Frequency, Stroke & Acceleration Relationship

It’s Complicated, or Is It? The Frequency, Stroke & Acceleration Relationship

By Jack Steinbuch

Nov 30

Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) have become commonplace in many of our bulk material handling applications due to the adjustability they provide and the cost which has become more attractive over the years. However, I have found that many of our customers do not understand what they can achieve with this controller and how it affects acceleration when working with our electromechanically driven equipment featuring twin electric motor vibrators like our EMF vibratory feeders, EMS vibratory screeners and FA flat deck & GT grid top tables.

So we will start off with the fact that is contrary to what some might think – the lowering of the frequency does not affect the stroke being produced by the equipment. The stroke of the equipment can only be changed by mechanically adjusting the eccentric weight settings on the vibrators. Read More…

Jack Steinbuch

Jack Steinbuch retired in 2021 following a decades-long career with The Cleveland Vibrator Company, where he served as a Sales Engineer for more than 36 cumulative years. His background also includes extensive experience in the manufacturing industry as a Senior Application Engineer, and throughout his tenure with our team he contributed in both sales and managerial roles. Prior to his retirement, he held the position of General Sales Manager.

A graduate of The University of Toledo with a BSCE, Jack is highly regarded for his expertise in sizing vibratory screeners, feeders, and vibratory drives for tables and other equipment. Known for his dedication to customer service, he has always emphasized the importance of recommending the right solution for every application — even when that solution did not come from The Cleveland Vibrator Company.

Outside of work, Jack enjoys spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. An avid sports fan and participant, he enjoys golf and spent many winters as a league bowler. With his retirement planned for the end of September 2021, Jack looked forward to spending future winters vacationing in Florida.

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Experiencing the Grit and Glory of the Industrial Vibrator Industry

Experiencing the Grit and Glory of the Industrial Vibrator Industry

By Cleveland Vibrator Team

Jun 16

There are many aspects to the working at The Cleveland Vibrator Company that teach you valuable industry lessons, especially when you are considered a “rookie” or “newbie” in the industry. I began my journey into the Industrial Vibrator world this past December and I am surprised myself as to how much knowledge I have gained thus far – particularly the impressive span of industries where vibration is highly valued in order to efficiently move materials through plant production. Being the Marketing Associate, it is part of my job description to photograph every piece of Fabricated Vibratory Equipment that leaves our facility. Coming into an industry that was completely foreign to me, this job detail quickly became incredibly beneficial in my learning process about Industrial Vibration and where I could find it in use.

My first experience with photographing Vibratory Equipment happened within my first week on the job, I was asked to video the testing of an EMS Electromechanical Vibratory Screener. Read More…
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Okay, so what is a hopper?

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

Customer Example

Solutions in Motion!

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