Floor Feeders

Our custom vibratory floor feeders make conveying and managing goods easier than ever. Learn more about our base-mounted vibratory feeders, the different conveyor belt materials we offer, and how to start creating a custom floor feeder solution for your facility.

Floor Feeder mounted for Automated Systems

Vibratory feeders allow for the metered or controlled flow of small, solid materials from a bin, hopper, or stockpile. Feeders can be used at a fixed or adjustable rate, and material only flows when the feeder is active.

Both feeders and conveyors are commonly used to move goods from point A to point B in production or sorting systems; however, there are critical differences between the two. Feeders control the rate at which bulk goods leave the hopper or bin, whereas conveyor systems simply move whatever goods are introduced to its surface, regardless of the volume. Feeders are also flood-loaded, can vary in speed, and can modulate discharge rate while conveyors are not flood-loaded, operate at a fixed speed, and can’t control the rate of discharge.

Vibcon offers base-mounted floor feeders that use a powered upfeed conveyor. The conveyor may feature a cleated belt, a chain, or use a magnetic upfeed. They can be designed and custom-built to any size you require, and they have multiple applications.

The design of our custom vibratory floor feeders might entail the following:

• Hopper only
• A gravity-oriented system where parts are carried to the top via an upfeed conveyor and then slide or drop onto a gravity orienter. Properly oriented parts continue through the system and misoriented parts fall off the track, then are guided back to the tub to start over.
• Belt-oriented systems include a floor feeder, similar to the gravity-oriented system, but when the parts fall from the upfeed conveyor, they land on two opposing belts that keep tumbling the parts around until they are in the proper orientation to exit the system.

Floor Feeder Conveyor types

At Vibcon, we work hard to customize each system to best meet the needs of our clients. This includes custom building a feeder system that’s the right fit for your industry and the regulations that govern it. Some of the different belt materials we offer with our floor feeders include:

Food-Grade Belts

For facilities that process food and other consumable goods, the belts need to be made from food-grade materials that won’t introduce contaminants to the product materials. The FDA and the EU regulate what standards manufacturers of consumable goods must meet in order for their products to be safe. These two bodies create standards that don’t always align, so businesses that sell to both American and European markets must use food-grade belts that meet all application standards for hygiene, food safety, and product quality.

Plastic Chain Belts

Plastic chain belts are durable conveyor belt systems that are easy to use and rebuildable. If a certain link breaks or gets damaged over time, operators can replace the link without having to replace the entire belt. Plastic chains are also quiet and can be used with most bulk goods without the risk of contamination.

PVC Cleated Belts

Cleated belts have raised cleats that help divide and secure items placed on the belts. These are advantageous on conveyors with inclines and declines that might otherwise risk rollback.

Tabletop/Silent Chain Belts

Contact us for more info on tabletop/silent chain belts