Automation Devices Offers Factors in Choosing Cast Aluminum & Stainless Steel Vibratory Feeder Bowl
Automation Devices, Inc. (ADI), a vibratory feeder and part system components manufacturer gives comparative information to aid customers in choosing a cast aluminum vibratory feeder bowl or a stainless steel feeder bowl.
*1. Type of Part Being Fed *
The size and type of part being fed plays a vital role in determining the best feeding equipment. Most parts can be oriented in either cast aluminum or stainless steel bowls. “In many circumstances,ADI has more orienting configurations already cast into our 600+ bowl patterns for aluminum bowls, than could be fabricated in a stainless steel bowl,” explains ADI President Kevin Smith. Different options are available when a stainless bowl is being considered. “For example, with a straight wall stainless steel feeder bowl, tooling can be added to the outside of the bowl,” says Smith. “This ‘outside tooling’ allows for further orientation of the parts if deemed necessary.”
*2. Application *
For non-food or medical applications cast aluminum bowls are usually a quicker and less expensive choice. For parts that require higher degrees of cleanliness or may have a higher degree of rejection during the orientation sequence, a stainless steel bowl is the best choice. “Materials such as 316 stainless steel and metal prep processes such as passivation and electro-polishing can offer the highest degree of cleanliness for clean-sensitive parts while special linings can be applied to aluminum bowls to achieve the same results,” says Smith.
*3. Durability *
Generally, raw aluminum bowls are prone to wear faster than stainless steel bowls when the part has abrasive qualities. Stainless steel bowls have generally good wear properties but can be loud and sometimes too smooth for appropriate part traction. “Both of these factors can be improved by the addition of bowl linings which can change the transfer of sound in the bowl as well as improve part motion and bowl wear,” explains Smith.
4. Cost/Scope of Project
Cast aluminum is a lower cost alternative to stainless steel. It is more suitable for mass production and provides a quicker turnaround time with 160 designs and 500 patterns in stock. “Cast aluminum bowl patterns are not something our competitors offer,” says Smith. “We have invested the time and expense to have these infinite options of cast bowls so that they are readily accessible for our customers in days rather than weeks or months.”
For more information on vibratory feeding equipment, please contactADI for further assistance. Automation Devices, Inc. is a vibratory feeder manufacturer in Fairview, PA specializing in vibratory feeders, centrifugal feeders, hoppers and vibratory controllers and also services all brands of feeding equipment. ADI offers in stock products and custom designed vibratory feeding systems. For more information, please call Automation Devices, Inc. at 814-474-5561.
