Feed bowls

Expert Troubleshooting Tips for Your Feed System

Drawing on our experience and expert knowledge in the industry, Mid-State Automation, Inc. in Cloverdale, Indiana, offers feed system troubleshooting tips and other helpful suggestions for your machine operations. Follow our simple guide to recognizing problems with your system.

A Guide To Vibratory Parts Orienting Equipment Issues

Our machine operations advice applies to new equipment and older units. Most problems are caused by improper use, installation, or damage from handling. If there is no vibration in your feed system, the following could be reasons why:

Bowl Or Base is Making Contact with Other Equipment
Cord To Feeder is Damaged or Unplugged

Fuse in Controller is Blown
Power Supply To Control Is Off

Other Vibratory Parts Orienting Equipment Issues

If your machine is vibrating but it is slow or there is irregular movement of the parts, we can help with that too. The possible problem could be:

Bowl is Mounted but Shakes and Sets Up an Interference Vibration
Bowl Is Not Secure in All Four Locating Clamps
Crossarm Clamps are not Tight
Feeder Bowl is Low On Parts
Feeder Bowl is Overloaded

Excess Dirt on Bowl or Parts
Input Voltage to Controller is Fluctuating
Leveling Screws on Table Legs not Set Firmly
Lubricant on Parts or Feeder Bowl
Mounting Plate or Table Not Sturdy

Erratic Bowl Speed

If your bowl speed has slowed down or is erratic, first check to make sure all bolts are tight. The feed system requires 250 lb. torque on top and 325 lb. torque on bottom of the spring packs. Replace any coils that are not working. After that, test the controller to ensure the voltage fluctuates. If there is no fluctuation, call a professional to replace the service kit. Finally, check the springs for cracks and replace with new springs if cracks are found.

Tuning Instructions

Prior to shipping, we always properly tune drive units, each one is run through a final runoff which includes PPM achieved, control settings and spring setup. This is documented and sent with each unit. First, before you tune the units, make sure all bolts are tight and there are no broken springs or cracked welds. Then, slowly loosen either the top or bottom bolts of the spring pack. Be sure to carefully watch the parts inside the bowl as you loosen the bolts to determine if the parts are slowing down or speeding up. If the parts slow down, the bowl is under sprung. If they speed up, the bowl is over sprung.

Under Sprung

For under sprung parts, simply add a spring one at a time and two spring spacers, then re-tighten and check again. Continue this process until the bowl is slightly over sprung. Remember to tighten the bolts like before prior to rechecking. Also, make the springs per spring pack equal. If they aren't equal, make the spring packs closest to the coils greater in number. The bolts must thread in at least 1" times the diameter of the bolt, and put the thinner springs on the outside of the pack with the thicker ones toward the inside.

Over Sprung

If over sprung, remove the thinnest spring, re-tighten the bolts, and recheck. If, at this point, the bowl is under sprung, add a thinner spring and recheck. Continue doing this until the bowl is slightly over sprung.