Maintaining Vibratory Feeders

Vibratory
Feeding Systems
MaintainingVibratorySystems
Troubleshootingguideonmaintainingvibratoryequipment.
Table of Contents
DETERMINETHEPROBLEM.......................................................................................................1
WHENDOESTHEPROBLEMOCCUR?........................................................................................2
OBSERVETHESYSTEMRUNNING..............................................................................................3
LOOKFORBROKENSPRINGS....................................................................................................4
PREVENTIVEMAINTENANCE....................................................................................................5
LISTENTOTHESYSTEM............................................................................................................6
TOUCHTHESYSTEM.................................................................................................................7
CHECKTHEELECTRICALCOMPONENTS....................................................................................8
SOLIDSTATECONTROLLER......................................................................................................9
CHECKTHESENSOR................................................................................................................10
SENORS..................................................................................................................................11
UNDERSTANDINGYOURFINDING..........................................................................................12
SENSOR/RATEPROBLEM........................................................................................................13
NEWINSTALLATION...............................................................................................................13
EXSITINGINSTALLATION........................................................................................................14
JAMS......................................................................................................................................14
TUNING..................................................................................................................................15
RESONANCETUNING........................................................................................................16/17
MECHANICALTUNING............................................................................................................18
MOUNTINGFEET....................................................................................................................19
AIRGAP..................................................................................................................................20
CHECKINGTHETUNING....................................................................................................21/22
SPRINGS.................................................................................................................................23
MAZZASRULE........................................................................................................................24
NEMAENCLOSURES...............................................................................................................25
TUNING101.....................................................................................................................27/31
NOTES:.............................................................................................................................32/34
MoorfeedCorporationADivisionofExecutiveAutomationSystemsInc.
1445BrookvilleWay,SuiteR,Indianapolis,IN46239(317)5457171www.moorfeed.com
This information is intended to give the end user a working knowledge and
understanding of the expected performance of a vibratory feeder bowl and its
related components. To give the user a complete education is beyond the
range of this text. It is, however, intended to make known and to make clear
any terms of procedures that may otherwise be unspecified or unfamiliar.
In the occasion conditions occurs with the feeding system that is unusual or
conflicting with normal operation, please attempt to use this information as a
guide to trouble shoot and repair the system. If there is a situations that
cannot be corrected then you will need to contact a trained technician.
Determinetheproblem
Talktotheoperators
Whatistheproblem?
Askthemachineoperatorstotellyouwhattheyseeastheproblem.Theoperatorsmaynotknowthe
extractnatureoftheproblem,butwillhaveobservedwhathappens.Oftenthereinsightwillguideyouto
therealproblem.
Bowl,track,control&stand
Whathappenswhentheproblemoccurs?
Sometimesafewquestionswillhelptheoperatorstofocusonthefeederproblems.Doesthefeedsystem
runatall?Doesthehoppercycleproperly;comeononlywhenthebowlisrunningandnotfeedpartsso
fastthatitoverfillsthebowl?Doesthebowlfeedslowerwhenfilledorruntoofastwhenempty?Isthere
anapparentjam?Dopartsspilloutofthebowl?Isthereahammeringsound?Dogoodpartsfalloffthe
track?Dounorientedpartsfeedthroughtothemachineorjaminthetrackorbowl?Arethepartsto
specification?Isthereflashontheparts?Hasthetrackbecomeslickfrommoldreleaseoroil?Isthe
trackblockedwithdirt,flash,chipsorotherdebris?Ifthesystemquitrunning,didithappengradually,or
allatonce?
1
Whentheproblemdoesoccur?
Anothermachinestartingupmayoccasionadropinlinevoltage.Areductionorincreaseinairline
pressurecaneffectorientationonbowlsusingairjets.Aheavymachinecyclingintheareamaybe
transferringvibrationthroughthefloorthataffectsthesystemandgoesawaywhenthemachineshuts
down.Asecondvibratoryfeederrunningonacommontablecouldsetupaharmonicnodethatwould
affecttheperformanceofthefirstfeeder.
Howdoestheoperatorfixtheproblem?
Gettheoperatortodescribewhattheyhavetodotofixtheproblemorworkaroundit.Ajamthatoccurs
inthesamelocationandisreadilyclearedbyremovingthejammedpartwouldwarrantlookingatthe
partsandthetoolingatthatlocation.Jamsthatrequireunboltingsectionstoclearthejampointtowarda
slightlymoredifficultproblem.Iftheoperatorhastoremovethejamandclearalargesectionoftrack,
theproblemmaybecausedbyasectionofthebowlthatclosesorbecomesmoreconfined.Asingleout
oftolerancepartcouldalsocauseit.
Anoperatormayneedtohandplaceorientedpartsinthetracktokeepup.Heorshemayhavehelped
thepartsdownthetrackbypushingthembyhand.
Clearingjamswithpicks,pliers,screwdriversormetalobjectswilldamagethetoolingandcauseadditional
problems.Itisbettertoprovidetheoperatorswithbrassorplastictoolstousetoclearjams.
Observethesystemrunning
Lookforpartsflow
Turnonthefeedsystemandwatchitrunforaminuteortwo.Youarelookingtoseethatthepartsfeed
consistentlyupthetrack.Alsochecktoseethatthepartsflowatthesamerateandthevolumeupthe
internalhelixinthebowlandthattherearenodeadspotsorareasinthebowl.
Watchthepartsfeedingthroughtheexternaltooling.Dothepartsnegotiatethetoolingcleanlyandatan
evenrate?
Lookforobstructions
Makesurevibratingdrivebases,bowls,trackandhopperpansarenottouchinganymounts,brackets,or
otheritemsonthemountingplateortable.
Checktoseethatvibratingunitsareclearofthesoundenclosureandthesounddampingmaterial.
Ifthepartsarejamminginthetoolingorfallingoffthetrack,checktoseethatthetoolingisfreeofdirt
and/orscraporforeignparts,andifitisjammingbetweenthetrackschecktheundersideofthetrack
directlyabovethejamforweldspatterorothersnags.Alsochecktoseethatthepitchbetweenthetracks
isconstantandnotclosing.
Lookforinterference
Partsspilledoutofbowlmaybedampeningthedriveiftheyarewedgedbetweenthedriveandafixed
objectsuchasthesoundenclosure,springbanks,andunderthedriveunit.
Anotherplacetolookforinterferencecouldbemisalignmentbetweenthebowldischargeandtheinline
trackorothermeansofconveyance.Partshesitationorwedgingastheyconveyacrossthisgapcanbethe
sourceofthejamsandcausethelowrates.
3
BiasAngletransfer
Adjustabletoolingnormallyshouldopenslightlyinthedirectionofflow.Toolingthatiswiderorhigher
whenthepartsenterthanwhentheyleavewillwedgeorcamlocktheparts.
Partsfeedingthroughthedischargeandotherareaswithoverheadconfinementshouldhavethe
confinementadjustedcloseenoughtokeepthepartsedgefromoverlapping.However,iftheconfinement
issoclosethatthepartsundernormalvibrationhittheoverheadconfinement,flowthroughtheconfined
areawillbeimpeded.
Thecoilgaponthefeederisdirectlyproportionaltothebowl/inlinegap.
Lookforbrokensprings
Checkthebanksofspringsforbrokensprings.Mostspringsbreakintheareajustbeyondwheretheyare
clamped,justabovethespaceronthelowerclampandjustbelowthespacersontheupperclamps.Look
foracracklineontheouteredges.Anotherindicatorofcrackedorbrokenspringsisredororangedust
sometimeencirclingthebaseonthedrive.
4

Springbank
PreventiveMaintenance
Overhaultheunit
Ifyouhaveanopportunitytooverhaultheunit,removethespringsonebankatatime,itisimportantto
removeonlyonebankatatimeastheotherbankswillmaintaintheproperpositioninsuringthatyou
maintainthedimensionaltargets,checkforcracksspringsbyholdingoneendofthespringandrapping
theotherendonametalplate.Thenchecktheotherend.Ifthespringiscracked,itwillbreakorsound
dull.Besuretocleanallrustandoilfromtheclampedareasofthespringsandtocleanthespaceraswell.
Replacebrokenspringswithspringofthesamesizeandmaterial.Ifyoudonthaveaspringofthesame
thickness,youcanuseseveralthinnersprings.SeeMazzasRuleoftheSquareoftheNumeratorsto
estimatetherequirednumberofthinnerspringstouse.
LookforBrokenwelds
Checkthebowlweldsforcracksandbrokenwelds.Lookforweldedtoolingthatisvibratingoutofsync
withtherestofthebowl.Incoatedbowls,afteraperiodoftimethecoatingwillsometimescrackovera
brokenweld.Lookforredororangedust.
Lookforsolidcontact
Allthefeetonthestand,baseortableshouldbeinsolidcontactwiththefloor.Ifyoususpectthefeetare
notsolid,takeawrenchandcheckthem.Thevibratingdriveshouldbefirmlyattachedtothemounting
plate.Checktherubberisolationmounts(feet)fordeteriorationoftherubberandcheckthatthefeetare
securelyboltedtotheriserortheplateandtothevibratingdrive.Thenpryupslightlyateachfoottosee
iftherubbertometalbondissecure.Thebowlshouldbesecurelyclampedbyeachtoeclamp.Checkthe
torqueonthetoeclampsusingatorquewrench.Boltsonadriveunitshouldbetorquetothebolt
recommendspecification.Largerbowlwillhaveaboltinthecenterofthebowl,thisboltneedstobetight
waswellmakesurethecenterbowlhastheproperspacerbetweenthedriveandthebowlbottom,failure
todothiswillcausethedomeinthebowlbottomtoinvert.
Listentothesystem
Listenformetaltometalhammering
Hammeringmeansthevibratingcomponentsarestrikingoneanotherorstrikingsomethingaroundthe
system.Checkthebowlandthetrackinterferenceandthetracktomachineinterface.Ifthehammering
comesandgoesthatisagoodindicationthatapartorscrapisgettingintothegapandcausingthe
hammering.Repositionthedrivetoopenthegapifthereisinterfaceinterferencebetweenthebowland
dischargeandtheexternaltrack.Movetheobjectbeingstruckifitissomethingaroundthesystem.Close
theinterfacegapifthehammeringiscausebypartsedgesgettingintothegap.

Coilgap
Checkthecoil/armatureinterface.Tocheckforhammering,insertapieceofpaperbetweenthepole
faces.Marksonthepaperindicatethegapistoclose.Resettheairgapbeingcarefulthatthepolefaces
areparallel.Theairgapshouldbeascloseaspossiblewithouthammering.
Listenforhunting
Huntingiswhenthevolumeortuneofthevibrationsseemstoberisingandfallingcyclically.Hunting
indicatesthefeederisundertunedoratresonance.
Listenforadiscordtone
Adiscordtoneisasteadyvibrationsoundthatwandersoff.Itcanbehigherorlowerinapitchthanthe
feedertone.Adiscordisasignalofnodeoraharmonic;somethingisflappingoutofsyncwiththerestof
thefeeder.
TouchtheSystem
Touchthebowl
Feelforareasvibratingoutofsyncwiththerestofthebowl.Feeltheweldsinthearea.Apinchingof
thefingertipsisagoodindicatorofabrokenweldthatcannotbeseen.
Occasionally,anareaoftoolingwillappeartobebouncingpartsexcessively,andyettherearenobroken
welds.Ifwedgingapieceofwoodsuchasahammerhandlebetweenthetoolingandthewallorabrace
helps,thenthetoolingprobablyneedstobebracedorsupportedbetter.Excessivevibrationscanbe
causedbyotherdeficienciessuchasastandortablethatistoolightornotadequatelyrigid.Eliminatethe
otherpossibilitiesbeforeweldingadditionalbraces.
Touchthemountingplate
Feelforexcessivevibrationbeingtransmittedintoplatefromthefeeder.Ifthewholeplateseemstobe
vibrating,theplateisprobablytoothin.
Feelforareasontheplatethatarevibratingoutofsyncwiththerestoftheplate.Iftheplateisflexingin
oneortwoareasonly,thentheplatesupportneedstobestrengthenedinthatarea.Trywedginga2x4
betweenthefloorandtheplateintheareaofthetinning.Ifitcorrectstheproblem,thenreinforcethe
platesupportoraddajackleg.
Touchthebase,tableorstand
Feelthelegsforexcessivevibration.Heavywallsquaretubingisrecommendedforbuildingvibratory
feederbases,tableorstands.Itissuggestedthat21/2tubesforfeedersover10and4tubesfor
feedersover21.Thehigherthefeedratethemoresubstantialthestandhastobe.Crossbracing
betweenthelegsandsupportunderthemountingplateisrequiredforgoodperformance.
7

Inspecttheelectricalcomponents
Checkthecoils
Onasinglecoilunit,ifthecoilisshortedortheconnectionisbrokenthefeederwontvibrateatall.Ifone
coilonthemultiplecoilunitisout,thefeederwilloperatebuthavesystemssimilartotuningorother
problems.Turnonthefeeder,takeasmallscrewdriver,paperclip,nailorothersmallironormildsteel
objectandtouchtheobjecttothecoilintheareaofthecoilarmatureinterface,iftheobjectisattracted
tothecoilitisworking.Donotexpectthistobeastrongmagneticpullyounormallygetfroman
electromagnet.Mostoftheelectromagneticenergyofthecoilisgoingintothearmaturebutwillgeta
weakattractionifthecoilisworking.
Thepolefacesofthecoilshouldbeascloseaspossibletothearmaturewithouttouching.Toocloseand
hammeringwilloccur.Passapieceofpaperbetweenthepoleface,ifthepapercomesoutmarkedthen
thepolefacesarehitting.
Thepapermarkedinoneareaonlyisanindicationthatthepolefaceisnotparallel.Resettheairgapto
eliminatethehammingbeingsuretosetthefaceparallel.
Checkthecontroller
Thereareseveraltypesofcontrollersusedonvibratorysystem,thetwomostcommonarevariableand
solidstatecontrol.Variablefrequencycontrolsarestartingtobecomepopularintheindustry.Whenyou
haveacriticalfeedingapplicationthatrequiresaclosecontrolorwerespringfatigue,fluctuatingvoltage
orloadiscausingproblemsanamplitudecontrollerwithafeedbacktransducerisavailable.
Variabletransformercontroller
Alargeamountofthecurrentsystemshaveeitheravariabletransformerorasolidstatecontrol.A
variabletransformercontrolsthevoltageoutputtothecoil,sincetheyaretransformers,somearebuiltto
provideoutputvoltagehigherthanhigherthatthelinevoltage.Thevariabletransformercontrolisstable
andnormallyhasagoodrange.Problemoccurwhenthewindingwearthinandbreakorshorts.
Sometimethecontrolwillonlyworkfullon.Thisisoftenanindicationofabreakinthewinding.
Avariabletransformercontrolcanberectifiedtorun60cycledrive.TherectifierputsaheavyDC
componentintothetransformerthatwillquicklysaturateanormalsizedvariabletransformer,thereforea
25Amptransformerwouldtypicallybeusedtocontrolafeederthatwoulddraw10AmpsifrunningACor
nonrectified.Becauseofthecostforthemuchlargertransformers,mostrectifiedor60cyclesdriveuse
solidstatecontrols.
8

Solidstatecontroller(phaseshift)
Solidstatecontrollerstodaytypicallycomewithaninternalswitchthatpermitthemtorunboth60cycle
(rectified,halfwaveorDC)and120cycle(nonrectified,fullwaveorAC)basedriveunits.The60cycleor
120cyclesreferstothenumberofvibrationspersecond.Wheninstallingareplacementsolidstate
controlmakesuretheinternalswitchtoAfor120cycleandDfor60cycles.Thinsprings3/16orless,
andfiberglassspringsareusedon60cyclefeeders.
OneproblemwithSolidstatecontrollersisthattheysometimesareverysensitivetocontrol.Asmall
movementofthepotentiometerproducesalargechangeinamplitudeinthefeeder.Solidstate
controllerstypicallycomewithamin/maxtrimpotsontheboardtosetminimumandmaximum
amplitudeofthefeederandusesthepotentiometerontheoutsideofthecontrollertocontrolthe
amplitudeofthefeederbetweentheminandmaxrange,thusgivingtheoperatorfinercontrol.The
minimumpotnormallyissetsothatthepartsjuststarttomovewhentheexternalpotentiometerissetto
zeroandthemaximumissettothehighestamplitudedesiredorrecommendedwhentheexternal
potentiometerissetat100%thehighsettingshouldnotcausethecoilstohammer.
SolidStateControls
9

Inspectthesensors
ThepurposeofthePhotoElectricsensoristoturnthebowlonandoffsoastomaintainafulllineofparts
inthetrackandnotallowthepartstobackupintothebowlandjamormisorientparts.Sensorswill
eitherbecontrolledbyaProgrammableLogicController(PLC)orhaveaprogrammablelogiccardbuiltinto
themodule.WhenthefeedersystemisusingaPhotoElectricsensortomonitorthegravity,conveyoror
inlinetrackandisnotbeingcontrolbyaPLC,thenitmustbesetorprogrammedfortheapplicationitis
beingused.Theswitchwillveryseldomoperatecorrectlyrightoutofthebox.
Thefirststepinsettingthesensoristomountthesourceandthereceivercablestoanonvibratingor
movingbracketandpositionthemsotheyarefocusedateachother.Applypowerontheproberleadsof
thesensor.Ifthesensordoesnottriggerorfunctionthenturnthesensitivityup,orusuallyclockwise,until
thesensorswitchesstateorfunctions.Nextmovethepartortargetbetweenthefocusedcables.The
switchshouldnowreturntoitsdefaultstate.Thisisalightoperatecondition.Ifthisdoesnotoccurthen
thebeamispassingaroundorthroughthetarget.Thesensitivityneedstobereducedandorsome
portionofthebeamneedstobeblocked.
Optionaldescription:
Mostsensorscanbesettooperateeitherlightordarkoperate.Thismeansthatifthelightbeam
(whentheswitchispowered)ispassingfromtheemittercabletothereceivercableuninterruptedandthe
switchisfunctionedortriggeredthenthisisalightoperatecondition.Whenthebeamisinterruptedthe
switchreturnstoitsdefaultornonfunctionedstate.Thedevicethatisbeingfunctionedinsidethe
moduleisusuallyasetofcontacts.ThesecontactsareeithernormallyopenedNOornormallyclosed
NC.Inthedarkoperatemodethelogicorstateforthecontactsarereversedaswellastheonandoff
delaytimers.
Asthepartsfeedpastthesensor,theoffdelayneedstobesetsotoallowtimeforaparttomoveinto
thebeamandexitthebeamwithoutactivatingthesensor.Thisisattainedbyincreasingthetimer
potentiometer.Itisgoodpracticetoallowfortheoccasionalslowerparttobethestandardratherthan
thefastermovingpart.Additionalstorageofthepartspastthesensorcanbecreatedwiththisfunction.
Takecarewhenaddingtimeonthistimerbecauseifthistimerhastoomuchtime,indiscriminately
applied,thepartscanbackupintothebowlandcauseproblems.Thenextfunctionthatshouldbe
programmedistheondelay.Thistimerusuallyissettoallowforsomeofthestoredpartsinthetrackto
exitbeforeturningthebowlonimmediatelyafterthepartsfeedawayfromtheblockingsensor.This
timercanstarvethetrackiftoomuchtimepassesbeforeturningthebowlbackon.
10

PhotoSensor
Aproximitysensorworkssimilartoaphotocellsensor.
Thepaddleswitchorproximitysensorcontrollingthehoppershouldbesettomaintaintheproperlevelof
partsinthebowltoensureagoodfeedrate.Thehoppersensorshouldbewiredinserieswiththebowlso
itwillrunonlywhenthebowlison.Otherwise,iftheswitchweretocallforparts,justasthebowlturns
off,thehopperwouldoverloadthebowl.Theflowofthefeedingpartsensuresthatacorrectlysetpaddle
orsensorwillsensethepartslevelaccurately.
Paddleswitch
11
Understandyourfindings
Donoharm
Ifthefeederisstillunderwarrantyorifyouareuncertainoftheproblemorthesolution,callthe
manufacturer.Mostmanufacturersvoidwarrantyifsomeoneotherthantheirrepresentativeworkson
theequipment.
Itemsyoucontrol
However,makesureyouhaveeliminatedthoseunderyourcontrol.
1. Parts.Arethepartsthesameandwithintolerance?Aretheymadeofthesamematerialand
ascleanasthepartssenttothemanufacturerforbuildingtheequipment?
2. Installation.Istheequipmentinstalledcorrectly?Isthetoolingadjustedcorrectlyforthepart?
3. Powerandair.Isthesystemgettingadequatepoweratthecorrectvoltageandcleananddry
airattherecommendedpressure?
Itemsbeyondyourcontrol
Ifitsunderwarrantyandyouhavecoveredallyourbases,thencallthemanufacture.Donotmachine,
grindorweldafeederunderwarrantyunlessauthorizedtodosobythemanufacturer.
PoweronNovibration
Electricalproblem
Thesystemhaspowerbutthefeeder(s)isnotrunning,turnthepoweroff,checkthefuse(s),checkthe
powercordfromthecontroltothecoil(s)forashortorbrokenwire,checkthelineforcontinuitytothe
coil(s),checkthecoil(s)toseeifithasbeenshortedout,repairanyproblemsandturnthepowerbackon.
12
Sensorproblem
Thesystemhaspower,thelines,fusesandthecoilsallcheckout,yetthevibratorybowlstillwontcome
on.Suspectthesensor.Cleanthephotoopticsandchecktherealignment.Ifthesystemstillwontrun
checkthesensitivityadjustment.Markornotetheadjustmentpriortomovingitsoyoucanreturntothe
settingifnecessary.Checktheswitchforcontinuity.
Repairorreplaceanydefectivecomponentsandturnontheunit.
Ifthesensorchecksouttheproblemisprobablyintherelay.Therelaymaybeeithersolidstateorcontact
type.Replacetherelayifnecessary.OnsystemwithaPLC,ifallelsefails,checktheprogram.
Rateproblem
Feederwontkeepup
NewInstallation
Trytuningdowntheamplitude.Therheostatorpotentiometersettingrecommendedbythemanufacturer
isnotcastinstone.Sometimesslowingdowntheunitproducesmorethroughputoforientedparts.
Checkoutthesystemwiththepartsthatwereusedtobuildthefeedsystem.Ifthesepartsrunatrate,
lookatyourproductionparts.Thepartsmayhavebeenchangedslightlyindimensionormaterial
composition.Theymaybefromdifferentsuppliers,orthetolerancesareatthehighendwherethe
samplesusedtobuildthebowlwhereatthelowend.Theformingtoolsusedtomakethepartsmaybe
wearingandnowthepartshaveburrsorsmears.Plasticpartsmayhavemoldreleaseandmetalparts
moreoil.
Ifnecessarycleanthebowlandtheparts,orreplacetheparts,andchecktherateagain.
Whenbuyingafeedsystem,itisrecommendedthatyousupplypartsfromallvendorstothefeeder
companytobuildandtestthefeeder.Alsosupplyadrawingwithtolerancessotherearenosurprises.
Iftheoriginalpartsareusedtobuildandtestthebowlwontfeedatrate,thenitisprobablythe
installation.Makesurethestandissolidtothefloorandanchoredifanchorsarerequired.Makesurethe
flooritselfissolidandnotflexing.Ifthefeederisonyourtable,makesurethetableisnotflexing.
Ifnecessaryreinforcedeficientareas.
13

ExistingInstallation
Ifthesystemhasbeenmoved,checktheinstallationasdetailedinnewinstallations.
Ifthefeedrateseemstofadeovertimeandtheoperatorhastokeepincreasingthepowertothefeeder,a
springmayhavebrokenorthespringsmayhaveworkedhardenedandchangethetuning.Ifthereareno
brokensprings,removeaspringorexchangeatleastonespringwithathinnerone.
Jams
Jamsinthebowl
Ifthejamsarecausebybadorbrokenpartsremovethepart.
Ifthejamsoccurbetweenthetracksinsidethecowlinapproximatelythesamearea,checktheunderside
oftheuppertrackforweldspatter.Fileorgrindtheseoff.Ifthereisnospatterthenreducethequantity
ofpartsinthebottomofthebowltooneortwolayersdeep.Ifthisdoesnotresolvethisissuethereare
othermethodssuchasskirtingthebowlorremovingliningbutnormallyneedstobedoneatthe
manufacturerfacility.
Ifthejamsoccurinthetooling,checkthejamstoensureitiswithinspecification,ifitisagoodpart,check
toseethetoolingdoesntcloseinthedirectionofflow.Resetadjustabletoolingtoopeninthedirection
offlowortobeparallelfromendtoendwhennecessary.
Beforeyoumoveorgrindtoolingtothebowl,besureyouconfirmthatthesensorsareworkingasthey
shouldandthatjamsarenotcausebybackpressureinthebowl.
14
Tuning
ElectricalPower
Vibratoryfeedersaretunedwhenthebowlandbaseresonateatornearthefrequencyofthepower
source.Electromagneticcoilsaremostoftenusedtoexcitethetunedtwomasssystemofthebowland
base,however,anairvibratororanothersourceofenergycouldbeusedaswell.Electricalcoils.Normally
operateoffasinglephaseofthepowersupply.Thepowersupplyfrequencywouldnormallyoperateoffa
singlephaseofthepowersupply.Thepowersupplyfrequencywouldtypicallybe60HertzintheNorth
Americaand50HertzinEurope.
StraightACorRectifiedCurrent
FeedersusingastraightACpowersupplyoperateat7,200vibrationsperminute(VPM)on60Hertz
currentandat6,000VPMon50Hertz.At60Hertzthefeedercoilreceivesapositiveelectricalimpulsethe
first8.33millisecondsofthe16.66milliseconds.Feederamplitudesarethatofrectifiedfeedersofthe
samesize,however,sincethevibrationsperminutearedoubledmanypartsfeedatthesamerate.
Orientationcanbeaccomplishedusingfinerfeaturesontheparts,duetotheloweramplitudeofthe
bowl.
15

Arectifiedinthepowersourceblockseitherthenegativeorpositivecomponentofthesinewave.The
feederoperatesat3,600vibrationsperminuteon60Hertzcurrentandat3,000VPMon50Hertz.Whena
rectifiedcontrollerissupplied,thevibratoryfeederhas8.3millisecondsbetweenpulsesofcurrenttothe
coil;therefore,greateramplitudecanbeachieved.Thinnerleafsprings1/16to3/16thickorgenerally
usedtotunearectifiedfeedersincethethinnerspringsaremoreflexibleandcanbebettertoleratethe
higheramplitude.
ResonanceTuning:Theresonantfrequencyofafeederisthefrequencymeasuredtheinstantafter
thefeederisshutofforatwhichitresonateswhenstuckwithahammer.Itisthemostefficientfrequency
ofanytunedtwomassvibratoryfeedersystem.
ResonanceTuningAbovethePowerLineFrequency
Feedertunedtoaresonantfrequencythatishigherthantheelectricalservicegenerallyperformbetter
undervaryingloadandonbasesthatarenotasrigidastheymightbe.Bothloadsandalessthanrigidbase
willlowertheresonantfrequencyofthevibratorysystem.WhenthefeederistunedHightheadded
loaddrivesthefrequencyuptheefficiencycurvetowardthepowerlinefrequency.Theresultisthefeeder
feedsbetterunderload.Astheloadlessensthefeedertuningbecomesstifferthuscompensatingforthe
lighterload.Hightuningalsohelpscompensateforalessthanrigidmountingplatform.
16
ResonanceTuningbelowthePowerLineFrequency
Whenafeederistunedsothatitsresonancefrequencyisbelowthepowerlinefrequency,thefeederhas
notoleranceforloadand/oralessrigidmountingplatform.Anincreaseinthequantityofpartsinthe
feederlowersthetuningofthesystem.Theincreaseloaddrivesthefrequencyfurtherdownthepower
curveawayfromthepowerlinefrequency.Theresultisafeederthatperformspoorly,runningslow
underloadandspeedingupexcessivelyasthebulkofthepartsfeedout.
17

Feedersarenormallytunedbyaddingorremovingsprings.Masscanalsobeaddedtoorremovedfromthebowl,
trackorpanand/orthebasedrive.
Themostcommonusedtochecktuningissimplytoloosenaclampingboltononeofthebanksofspringsand
observethefeeder.Amorereliablemethodistotunewithavariablefrequencycontroller.
MechanicalTuning
Ifavibratoryfeederisnotfeedingwell,checkthefollowing:
MountingPlatformBesurethestandortableissolid,rigid,levelandallfeetareplantedfirmlyto
thefloor.
FeederToeClampsandCenterBoltsBesurealltoeclampsaretightandthebowlisseated
properlyinthetoeclamps.On18andlargerbowls,besurethecenterboltistight(makesure
thatthespacerbetweenthebowlbottomandthetopofthecrossarmisinplacefailuredosowill
resultinthedomeofthebottombeingdamage).
18
Toeclampattachesbowltodrive
RubberMountingFeetChecktherubbermountingfeetbypryinguplightlyunderthebasedriveatthe
feetandlookforseparationbetweenthefootandthebase,ortherubberandthemetalmount.Ifsee
separation,youhavetotightenthefoottothebaseorreplacethefootitself.
RubberMountingFeet
19
CoilChecktoseeifcoil(s)isworkingbyturningontheunitandplacingaferrousobject,suchasa
screwdriver,closethecoilairgap.Ifthemetalisdrawntothecoil(s),itisworking.Donotexpectthisto
beastrongattraction.
CoilAirGap
AirGapChecktheairgapbetweenthecoilsandthearmature.OnanACunitthegapshouldbe.015
.020on4.5and6feedersand.025on8through24feeders.Onallrectifiedunitstheairgapshould
beatleast.060anddependingonthesizeofthefeederupto.100.Thegapshouldalwaysbeevenand
theparallelacrossthefaceofthecoildonotsetthecoilarmatureairgaptoocloseasthepolefaceswill
hammer.Trytosettheairgapascloseaspossibleandstillnothammerwhenfullonorwhenstarting.
Thewiderthegapthemoreamperestheunitwilldraws.Checktheairgapbyturningtheunitfullonand
passingapieceofpaperthroughthegap,ifthepaperismarked,thegapistooclose.
20
CheckingtheTuning
Checkthetuningbyturningontheunitandadjustingthecontrolsothatthepartsjuststarttomoveinthe
bowl.Breakoneboltlooseononebankofspringswhileyouobservethepartsinthebowl.Ifthefeeder
speedupandcontinuestodosoasyoucontinuetoloosenthebolt,thefeederisovertunedandthe
resonancefrequencywillhavetobedropped.Thisisthemostcommontuningproblemasthesprings
tendtoworkhardenovertime.Tunetheunitbyremovingaspring,orbyreplacingonewithathinner
spring.Ifthefeederslowsdown,thedriveisundertunedandaspringorspringswillhavetobeadded.
Whenyouaretryingtoachievetheproperresonantfrequency,addthespringorspringtothebankthat
hasthefeweramountson,itwisetotrytoeventheamountofspringperbank,ifallisthesameaddone
atyourease.
Ifyouhaveanareathathasexcessivebounce,anadditionalspringorspringsaddedunderthatpartofthe
bowlwilltendtoreducethebounce.Springscanberemovedfromonebank,whereadditionalbounce
mightbeneededorwillnotaffectorientationorfeedrate,toanotherbankunderanareaofconcernin
thebowl.
Generally,whenthenumberofspringsrequiredcannotbesplitevenlyamongallthebanks,theheavier
springbankshouldbeatthecoils.Itisgoodpracticetoputthethickerspringstowardthecrossarmwith
thethinnerspringsawayfromcrossarm.
SpringBank
21
SlidingSpringClamp
Checktuningbylooseningonespringclampingbolt,iftheunitspeedsup,removeaspring,andifitslows
downaddaspring.Takecaretousethecorrectlengthofbolt(s)whenchangingsprings.Onsomeolder
drivestheboltmaybottomoutagainstthepolefacemount,ifitistoolongitwillnotclampthesprings
tightcausingatuningissue.
Onthe8upto15unitstheclamp(s)canberaisebutonlytothetopofthepost.Totune,raiseorlower
theseclampsinsmallincrementsastheforceofthespringsincreasesordecreasesbythecubeofthe
length.
Theunitisproperlytunedwhenthefeederspeedsupasyouinitiallybreaktheboltlooseandthenslows
downasyoucontinuetoloosenthebolt.
Torqueallbolts,especiallyspringandtoeclampbolts,toatleast80%oftheirratedtorque.
22
Springs
Springsconnectthefeederbasemasstothebowl,trackorpanmass.Everythingattachedtothetopof
thespringispartofthebowl,trackandpan.Thebowl,trackandpanareaportionofafeedsystemthatis
supposestovibrate.Themuchheaviermassofthedrivebase,plateand/ortablecontributetohowwell
thevibrationistransferredtothebowl,trackorpan.
VariousSpringsSizes
Springscomeinvariouslengths,widths,andthicknesstomatchtherequirementsofthevibratoryfeeder.
Springsaremadefromhardensteelorfiberglass.Thickersteelspringsandupareusedonfullwave
units,rectifiedorhalfhaveunitstypicallyuse1/8steelspringsorthinnerasthethinnerspringshandle
thegreateramplitudebetter.
Allfeederswithfiberglassspringsarerectified.
SpringForce
Springforceisamountofforcerequiredtodeflectaspringandtheamountofloaditwillreturnwhen
deflected.Springforceisanexpressionusedtodescribethestiffnessofaspring.Afullwavefeeder,
becauseithasashortertimeofcycle,requiresabout4timesthespringforcetoreturnthesameamount
ofmassasarectifiedorhalfwavefeeder.
23
Mazzasruleofthesquareofthenumerators
Ruleofthumbusedtoestimatespringforce
Whentryingtoestimatespringforcerequiredforagivensituation,MazzasRuleoftheSquareofthe
Numeratorsworkswellinmostsituations.
Thespringforceorstiffnessofagivenspring,forafeeder,canbecomparedtootherspringsbyusing
MazzasRuleoftheSquareoftheNumerators.Estimatingspringsrequiredtoreplaceaspringofa
differentthicknesscanbedeterminedbythefollowingmethod.
1. Measurethethicknessofthespringtobereplacedinthe16thofaninch.
2. Squarethenumeratorofthatfraction.
3. Measurethethicknessin16thofaninchofthespringsavailabletoreplacethe
brokenspring.
4. Addthesquaresofthenumeratorsofthereplacementsprings,tomatchascloseas
possible,thesquarenumeratorofthebrokenspring.
Forexample,ifa3/8thickspringbreaksandyoudonothaveanother3/8springtoreplaceit,two
thickspringsandone1/8spring(orfour3/16thicksprings)willreplaceit.Besuretoputspacer
betweeneachspring.
Tocalculatethespringforceintheexample
Convert3/8tothecommondenominator6/16
Squarethenumerator62=36
Aspringthatis6/16(or3/8)thickhasaforcevalueof36

Aspringthatis4/16(or1/4)thickhasaforcevalueof16
16+16=32.Twospringsarenotquiteenough
16+16+4=36
Two1/4thickspringsandone1/8thickspringhaveacombinedforcevalueof36,equaltoone3/8
thickspring.
Four3/16thickspringsalsoequalone3/8thickspringinforcevalue.
9+9+9+9=36
24
NEMAENCLOSURES
NOTE:ThismaterialisderivedfromNationalElectricalManufacturersAssociationforElectrical
Equipment,NEMA250,EnclosuresforElectricalEquipment(1000VoltsMaximum),copyright
1997byNEMATheinformationcontainedhereinisnotintendedtobecompletedescriptions.
RefertoNEMAStandard250forcompletedetails.
TYPEApplication&Description
Type1:Appliestoenclosuresthatareintendedforindooruseprimarilytoprovidesomeprotection
againstcontactwiththeenclosedequipmentorlocationswherenontypicalserviceconditionsdonot
exist.
Type3:ForEnclosuresthatusedforoutdooruseprimarilytoprovidesomeprotectionagainst
windblowndust,rain,andsleet:resistantandundamagedbytheformationoficeontheenclosure.
Type3R:Forenclosuresthatareusedintheoutdoorsprimarilytoprovideaprotectionagainstfalling
rainandsleet;undamagedbytheformationoficeontheenclosure.
Type4:Forenclosuresthatareusedinindoororoutdoorusetoprovideaprotectionagainstwindblown
dustandrain,splashingwater,andhosedirectedwater;undamagedbytheformationoficeonthe
enclosure.
Type4X:Forenclosuresthatareusedforindoororoutdoorusetoprovideaprotectionagainst
corrosion,windblowndustandrain,splashingwater,andhosedirectedwater;undamagedbythe
formationoficeontheenclosure.
Type6:Submersibleenclosuresaresuitableforapplicationwheretheequipmentmaybesubjectto
submersion.Theenclosuredesignwilldependuponthespecifiedconditionsofpressureandtime.The
enclosurewillalsoremainundamagedbytheformationoficeontheenclosure.
Type9:HazardouslocationenclosuresClassII,GroupE,ForG.Theseenclosuresaredesignedtomeet
therequirementsoftheCanadianElectricalCodePartIforClassIIIthazardouslocations,andCSAcodes
section18ClassIIGroupE,f,andG.
ClassIIGroupEatmospherecontainingmetaldust.
ClassIIGroupFatmospherecontainingcarbonblack,coal,orcokedust.
ClassIIGroupGatmospherecontainingflour,starchorgraindust.
25

Type12:Forenclosuresthatwilloperateprimarilyindoors.Industrialapplicationsaretypicalwherethe
enclosuresareoiltight.
Type12K:Theseenclosuresthatwilloperateprimarilyindoorsandhaveknockouts,Industrial
applicationsaretypicalwheretheenclosuresareoiltight.
Type13:Thecoverisheldinplacewithscrews,boltsorothersuitablefasteners,withacontinuous
gasketconstruction.Thefastenerpartsareheldcaptivewhenthedoorisopened.Therearenoholes
throughtheenclosuresformountingorattachingcontrolsinsidetheenclosure,andnoconduitknockouts
oropenings.Mountingfeet,brackets,orothermountingmeansareprovided.Theseenclosuresare
suitableforapplicationtomachinetoolsandotherindustrialprocessingmachineswhereoil,coolants,
water,filings,dustorlintmayenter,seepintoorinfiltratetheenclosurethroughmountingholes,unused
conduitknockouts,orholesusedformountingequipmentwiththeenclosure.
26
Tuning101
TuningaStorageHopper
1. Fillthehopperwithparts.
2. Checkthepowersupply.
3. Checkthecoilgap,setat.040to.050andparallel.
4. Setthepaddlearmornoncontactswitchsothatthehopperwillsupplythebowlfeederwithone
totwolayersofparts.
5. Checkthetuningasfollows:
Whenthelowerspringboltisloosenedandthepartsinthehoppertrayceasemoving,the
hopperisundertuned.Aspringshouldbeaddedtooneofthespringbanks.Afterthe
springhasbeenaddedandtheboltstightened,turnthehopperandloosenthelowerbolt
again.Ifpartsmovementspeedsupslightlyastheboltisloosened,thehopperisthen
tuned.
Ifpartsmovementincreasessharplywhenthelowerboltisloosened,thehopperisover
tuned.Removeonespringandtightenthebolts.Repeatthisprocedureuntilparts
movementincreasesslightlyasthelowerboltisloosened.
PrecisetuningfrequencymaybemeasuresusinganAmplitudeFeedBackcontroller.
27
Tuning101
TuningaInlineDrive
1. Placesomepartsinthetrack.
3. Mounttheinlinebaseplatefirmlyinordertochecktuning.
4. Checkthecoilgap,setat.020to.025andparallel.
5. Checktomakesureallboltsaretight.
6. Checkthegapbetweenthebowlandinline,minimumof.020clearances.
7. Turnthecontrollertoasettingofapproximately35%to45%ofinputvoltage.
8. Loosenonescrewoneitherofthetwofrontspringsapproximatelyaturn.Iftheunitspeeds
up,itisovertuned.Removeonespringandreplacewithathinnerspring,repeatuntilunitslows
downwhenthescrewisloosenedaturn.
Note:Atracklengthshouldbemountedonthetopbaroftheinlinebasedriveunitasfollows:
Atracksectionwhichislongerthanthemountingbarshouldbemountedaccordingtolength.On
thereceivingendorentranceitshouldoverhangthemountingbaraminimumof1.Onthe
dischargeendorexititshouldoverhangaminimumof2.Theoverhangratiobetweenthe
receivingandthedischargeendsofthetrackshouldbe2to1minimum.
28
Tuning101
TuningaBowlDrive
1. Place1to2layersofpartsinthebowl.
3. Mountthedrivebaseplatefirmlyinordertochecktuning.
4. Checkthecoilgap,startat.060forwaveand.030forfullwave,anditmustbeparallel.
5. Checktomakesureallboltsaretight.
6. Checkthatallspringsareseparatedbyspacers,topandbottom.
7. Checkthetuningbyturningtheunitonandadjustingthecontrolsothepartsjuststarttomovein
thefeeder,breakoneboltlooseononeofthespringbankswhileyouobservethepartsinthe
feeder,ifthefeederspeedsupasyouloosenthebolt,thefeederisovertunedremoveorlower
theclamponthesmallerdrive,ifthefeederslowsdownthenitisundertunedandaspringwill
needtobeaddedorraisetheclamponthesmallerunit,themostcommontuningproblemasthe
springtendtoworkhardenovertime.
29
Tuning101
Definition:SpringForceTheamountofforce(2Masssystem=Drive+Bowl).
Requiredtodeflectaspring&theamountofloaditwillreturnwhendeflected.
MazzasRuleofthesquareofthenumeratorsmakesaconversionlistofallspringinchartform:1/16=1
1/8=4
3/16=9
=16
5/16=25
3/8=36
ExplainResonantFrequencyThemostefficientfrequencyofany.
Prefertuning1.5to3H=aboveexistingpowerfrequency.
Example:
Rectified60cycles=61.5to63
Rectified50cycles=51.5to53
Example:
ST.AC60cycles=121.5to123
ST.AC120cycles=101.5to103Hertz
Explainrectifiedvs.FullwaveUsePixofSineWaves
Termstodefine:Huntingdiscordtone
Explain:Whyspringplacementiscriticaltoperformancei.e.livebankdeadbank.
Fundamentals:Relatingtoorproducedbythelowestcomponentofacomplexvibration.(Definition
MarionWebsterCollegiateDictionary)
30
Defineundertunedvs.overtuned
Procedurefortesti.e.,whysystemicorderisimportanttorevealthetuningproblempix#2#1toshow
simulationofreducingspringforcenaturally.
IncludespringR.C.=28&why?Reliableteststandards
MORENATURAL
Simulationforreducingspringforce
Addnotes:Mosttuningmanualssaythatthecoilgapdoesnotaffecttuning!Thoughtrue,itisan
ambiguousstatement,duetoopeningthegaptoowideorclosingittooclosewillbothresultindiminished
powertothesecondarymass.(Thebowl)
Track:1/32/3ruleinline
Demonstratewithstrobethemechanicalmovementofcoilassemblyetc.useheatsensortoprove
ordisprovecoilgaptheory.
Additionalnotes:Springspacerimportance,cockedlugorbentspringscancreatepreloadedcondition
andbreakspringsthickestonefirst.
Strobewillalsorevealacrackedspringandshouldbeusedafterallboltsarecheckedforproper
torqueandcoilgaps.
1.) Boltstretchorseatafterseveralmonthsofrunningandcancauseundertonecondition.
2.) Mountingfeetareakeytocontroloftheprimaryenergymassplatetheyshouldbeheightmatched
anddurometershouldbeequal.
3.) Ifmassplateisinadequatetheentirejobwillturnonthetablemasscanbeaddedtotheplate,but
itwillreducethefrequencyandyouwilladdsprings.(seemarkedpageongoodrules)
4.) Testcoilgapifhammeringwithpaper.(Onlargeunitsitishardtoknowwhichoneistooclose)
5.) Sometimewhentheunitistunedpartstillwontfeedtrydifferentpartsiftheyfeedthebowlneeds
helpviaamechanicaltoothXsandingthetrack,Brushlonetc.
31
Notes:
32
Notes:
33
Notes:
34

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