Bowl Feeders

Vibratory Bowl Feeder feeding plastic pins

Bowl Feeders are the most common devices used to feed individual components in Industrial Assembly Automation Applications. Vibratory Feeders are self-contained systems, comprising a specially tooled bowl feeder that orients the parts, a vibrating drive unit, upon which the bowl feeder is mounted, and a variable-amplitude control box. The bowl feeder, including an out feed accumulation track to convey parts along and discharge into the assembly machine comes in many shapes and sizes. The drive unit, available in both electromagnetic and pneumatic drives, vibrates the bowl feeder, forcing the parts to move up a circular, inclined track.

The track is designed to sort and orient the parts in consistent, repeatable positions. The track length, width, and depth are carefully chosen to suit the application and component shape and size. Special track coatings are applied according to shape size and material of the component which aids traction, damage to the product and lower acoustic levels. A variable speed control box is used for controlling the vibration of the bowl feeder and stops the flow of parts to the out feed track via sensors. Vibratory feeders are utilized by all industries including, the pharmaceutical, automotive, electronic, food, Fast Moving Consumable Goods (FMCG), packaging and metal working industries. It also serves other industries such as glass, foundry, steel, construction, recycling, pulp and paper, and plastics. Vibratory feeders offer a cost-effective alternative to manual labor, saving manufacturer’s time and labor costs. Several factors must be considered when selecting a parts feeder, including the industry, application, material properties and product volume.

Type of bowls

Bowl	Material	Suitable for
Cylindrical bowl	Aluminum/Steel/Stainless Steel	Continuous transport of components and for handling small parts
Conical bowl	Alumium/Stainless Steel	Heavy sharp-edged components Larger Loads Automatic pre-separating
Stepped bowl	Aluminum/Stainless Steel	Larger loads and larger components See also conical Bowls
Conical or stepped bowl	Polyamide	Small components with simple geometry and where mass production of feeders is required

Types of feeding systems

• Bowl Feeders: consists of a bowl top with a spiral track inside the bowl. The component parts are delivered from the bottom of the bowl feeder up the track into the top of the feeder as the bowl vibrates. The parts are the positioned in the proper position. These parts are usually then fed on to a vibratory or air track
• Centrifugal Feeders:, have a conical central driven rotor surrounded by a circular bowl wall. The feeder separate component parts utilizing rotary force and the parts revolve with high speed and are pulled to the outside of the bowl.

Accessories

• Coatings: Bowl feeder coatings to minimise wear and tear, reduces noise and damage to parts.
• Sound enclosure/cover: A foam-lined structure that absorbs the noise created by the vibratory feeder. Reduce noise and protects against dust and contamination.
• Base plates: Enable easy mounting of the drive unit to the machine bed.
• Sensors: Minimum/maximum level control on a linear track.
• Hopper: Large, bulk container that stores material and regulates parts flow into the vibratory feeder system.