Last year, one of our customers — a mid-sized auto component manufacturer near Chennai — called us with a common but frustrating problem: Vibratory Feeder
“Bro, the parts aren’t feeding consistently. We’ve already lost 6 hours this week.”
They were using a vibratory bowl feeder to align and feed small aluminum bushings into a CNC machine. The setup was basic — a standard bowl, an old analog controller, and zero monitoring. The machine would suddenly stop feeding, the vibration strength would vary, and operators had to keep adjusting the settings manually.
What Was the Result?
- Frequent stoppages
- Manual intervention every 20–30 minutes
- Poor part orientation due to unstable vibration
- Rising operator frustration
- A massive dip in output — 15% productivity loss
What We Found
When we visited their plant, we noticed two key issues:
- The controller was outdated – No feedback system, no frequency tuning, just a basic dial.
- Voltage fluctuation was affecting performance – The vibration strength was inconsistent due to poor power regulation.
We suggested upgrading to a digital vibratory feeder controller — one that had:
- Auto-tuning frequency control
- Digital voltage regulation
- Overload protection
- Feeding ramp-up/down timing
What We Did
We installed our controller in under 30 minutes, tested the resonance frequency, and set up a soft-start profile for smoother part flow. The operator didn’t need to adjust anything — the controller did the heavy lifting.
The Result: Downtime Cut by 50%
In just 3 days, the team saw results:
- Feeding interruptions dropped from 5–6 per shift to just 1–2
- Manual adjustments went from every 20 minutes to once per shift
- Cycle time improved by 8%
- Operators focused more on quality, less on fixing feeders
- Zero rejections due to feeding errors in the first week
The production manager called back and said:
“We didn’t realize a simple controller could make this much difference.”
Lesson Learned
Most manufacturers overlook the controller — thinking the bowl or the coil is the problem. But the controller is the brain of the feeder. If it’s not intelligent enough to handle real-time changes (voltage, load, frequency), you’re always in firefighting mode.
So if you’re seeing unexplained feeder issues, part jams, or frequent stops — don’t rush to replace the feeder. Start with the controller.