Vibratory bowl feeders are the most common devices used to feed individual components ( aka : parts )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 sensor

Sensor

A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury-in-glass thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated...

s.

Vibratory feeders are utilized by all industries including, the pharmaceutical, automotive, electronic

Electronics

Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...

, food

Food

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...

, 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 Cone (geometry) A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...  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
Polyamide Polyamide A polyamide is a polymer containing monomers of amides joined by peptide bonds. They can occur both naturally and artificially, examples being proteins, such as wool and silk, and can be made artificially through step-growth polymerization or solid-phase synthesis, examples being nylons, aramids,...  bowl (conical or stepped)		Small components with simple geometry Geometry Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....  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: also referred as ‘rotary 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.

• Step feeders: The component parts are collected from the hopper by elevating plates, pre-sorted and fed until they reach the desired transfer height. Key features of step feeder are that it operates quietly and without vibration.

• Linear feeders: Horizontal conveying of components. Used to handle irregular supplies of parts from upstream equipment, creating a buffer store and smooth flow for further processes. Special application: Multi-track design, carpet feeder.

Accessories

• Coating
  Coating
  Coating is a covering that is applied to the surface of an object, usually referred to as the substrate. In many cases coatings are applied to improve surface properties of the substrate, such as appearance, adhesion, wetability, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and scratch resistance...
  
  : Bowl feeder coatings 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

See also

• Vision Guided Robotic Systems
  Vision Guided Robotic Systems
  - Introduction :A Vision Guided Robot System comprises three core systems including robotic system, vision system, and component bulk handling system ....
  
  
• RNA Automation
  RNA Automation
  RNA Automation, a member of Rhein-Nadel Automation, was established in Birmingham UK in 1986, and has progressed into becoming the major supplier of parts handling equipment in the UK...
  
  
• Crown Automated Feeders Inc
• Fengqi Industry Co., Ltd.