Vibratory Feeders – The Better alternative to Manual Labor in Manufacturing Processes

Vibratory feeders are automated assemblies that are used for the feeding of small and large industrial parts. They have become an important and advantageous product for a variety of industries. Perhaps the biggest impact the bowl feeders have had on industries is that they have significantly reduced the enormous dependence on manual labor. Companies have found that integrating vibratory bowl feeders have resulted in lean manufacturing processes, and have helped them create an edge over competitors in terms of product manufacturing and delivery.

How Vibratory Feeders are a Better Choice than Manual Labor in Industrial Applications

There are many reasons why vibratory bowls are considered a more cost-effective option compared to manual labor.

• Automation: While this may seem like an obvious point, it is nonetheless important. Most vibratory feeders are automated machines. This allows them to choose and orient components with immense accuracy. This success is attributed to the use of robotic technology. When they are used as components in manufacturing and assembly processes, vibratory feeders have the capabilities of performing extremely fast operations.
• Value Adding Solutions: Automated vibratory bowl feeders can be used for long hours of operation. Automation also allows for impressive accuracy in terms of component feeding. This leads to more efficient value adding operations such as machining, inspection, assembly and packaging.
• Flexibility: There are two basic types of vibratory feeding systems – fixed and flexible. The flexible vibratory feeding systems provide a number of advantages to an industry. They eradicate the time and expenses taken for retooling. Performance of the system can be improved in terms of accepting parts of different dimensions. Industrial customers also have the freedom to update the feeding system from batch production to mass production.
• Range of Supporting Accessories: Many vibratory feeder manufacturers also offer a variety of accessory products such as supply hoppers, system control devices, and power and gravity tracks. These ancillary products help to maximize the overall performance of an parts feeding operations.
• Cost-Effective: The amount of expenditure that an industrial client will have to spend on maintaining a vibratory bowl feeding system is marginal compared to the amount spent on a human operator. 

The above mentioned advantages of vibratory feeders make them the better choice for accurate manufacturing processes

Use of Parts Handling Systems in Industrial Applications

Parts handling systems are extremely beneficial to various industrial manufacturing processes. These systems are designed with standard work cells to create smooth movement of parts on the conveyor through the manufacturing process. Hence, parts handling systems are used in applications where factors such as part placement, defect detection, and quality control need to be fulfilled. Most systems are automated to reduce costs and load parts of various shapes and sizes.

Industrial Applications of Parts Handling Systems

Parts handling systems are widely used in Tier 1, 2, and 3 companies of various industries. They are used to increase the overall productivity of a particular operation. A few industrial applications are given below.

Automotive: 

While parts handling system are used in the manufacturing process, they are of particular importance in operations such as parts distribution. In the automotive industry, one can expect to easily find measurably 70,000 parts that are ready for delivery and distribution. Parts handling systems equipment consisting of vibratory feeders and supply hoppers are used to segregate the parts. The parts move onto the conveyor belt for final inspection, and then they are sent for packaging. Each component batch is packaged and made ready for delivery. 

Medical: 

In the medical industry, parts handling systems are used especially for the filling and packaging of pharmaceutical bottles. In such systems, the vibratory bowl feeders are constructed using stainless steel to meet health and safety standards. The feeders are designed with inside tracking, and are electro polished for smooth movement of medicine pills and the like. If required, some manufacturers also add a straight line track to transfer oriented parts from the bowl to the bottle filling machine.

Aerospace: 

Material handling and parts management is a crucial system in the aerospace industry. Linear power tracks and customized drive units are used to handle the movement of large components such as airplane nose cones, engines, tires, and panels of various sizes. To keep the process safe and easy to manage, the handling systems can be equipped with lift tables or cranes to move and inspect the parts.