What is an industrial feeder, and what are the differences between common feeders?
An industrial feeder is a material handling equipment that controls and regulates the flow of bulk materials into machinery for processing. In other terms, it’s similar to a conveyor belt used to disperse raw material for short distances, where uniformity is required.
Industrial feeders are available for different applications in a variety of industries, ranging from agriculture pharmaceuticals to mining. These feeders are usually used in conjunction with other types of handling equipment such as grinders, crushers, mixers, blenders, and conveyors.
Learn more about industrial feeders below!
5 Different Types of Industrial Feeders
Industrial feeders are classified either as gravimetric or volumetric:
- Gravimetric industrial feeders
Such feeders are quite useful for applications that need extremely precise outputs. Unlike volumetric feeders, gravimetric feeders are highly preferred for controlling the discharge rate. In such a feeder, the material being processed is constantly monitored and controlled.
- Volumetric Industrial feeders
Volumetric feeders are meant for precise outputs. Materials are first fed into the feeder’s hopper and then into a vibration chamber, where the material is put together through consistent density. Volumetric feeders utilize constant density and speed to ensure that the volumetric feeders achieve a more precise output.
5 types of feeders
- Apron industrial feeders
Apron feeders are used to extract and feed heavy and bulk material such as heavy ores. They are popular for their capability to function under severe conditions such as wet, frozen, or sticky operations. It’s propelled by steel chains that rotate round metal sprockets. To control the rate of discharge, a slight adjustment of the speed or the height of the gate is made. A robust, heavy-duty apron feeder can ensure minimal downtime, with a service life of many years.
- Belt Industrial Feeders
Belt feeders are mainly used to handle fine, light, and free-flowing materials. They are designed as horizontally inclined belt feeders to extract bulk materials from a dump hopper into a crusher. Belt feeders are popular volumetric feeders known to prevent flooding through metering.
The belt feeders operate through a drive mechanism where the belt that carries materials away is propelled by a shaft and drive pulley, together with other supplementary equipment such as a feed chute, discharge chute, high-pressure lubrication system, and a skirting board. Belt industry feeders are the most economical for mining and power generation industries.
- Vibrating Industrial Feeders
Vibrating feeders are common in rocks and mineral ore processing plants as linear-direction feeding equipment. They are used to send raw materials into the crusher evenly and continuously. These feeders can easily increase the overall handling capacity of an entire production line while screening materials. They are mainly popular in coal and mineral mining operations.
- Reciprocating Industrial Feeders
Such feeders are mainly used to feed non-sticky materials such as massive, granular materials from a feed bin into another device. They are quite popular in crushing and screening lines of thermal power plants, cement, chemical, and electricity-producing industries.
- Grizzly Industrial Feeders
Grizzly feeders are mainly used to carry heavy shock loads from loaders and trucks. Such feeders are mainly common in industries, including mining, quarries, sand, gravel operations, and other mineral processing industries.
Grizzly industrial feeders are robust, heavy duty materials that handle large surge loads from wheel loaders or truck haulage equipment by providing an evenly regulated flow of material through a processing operation. They are popular in recycling, mining, quarrying, road building, bridge construction, and cement industries. Grizzly industrial feeders are a unique type of vibrating feeders that are common in all kinds of rock and mineral processing plants.
How to pick the right industrial feeder
When choosing an industrial feeder for your production line, there are a few key factors that you should consider:
- Reliable and stable operations
An industrial feeder should be reliable and stable enough to handle the most laborious tasks at hand without compromising on quality and productivity.
- Long life span and pollution-free with a closed body
Like any other type of machinery, the desirable industrial feeder should have an enclosed body free from any type of environmental pollution. Plus, it should have a long life span which can be achieved through regular maintenance service as per the manufacturer’s manual.
- Application
The best industrial feeder is the one that can perform the work you need it to do. What applications and products do you need it to serve? What other kinds of equipment do you have running on your production line? These questions will help you select the correct feeder for your facility.
- Performance
The ideal industrial feeder should be able to run at full capacity in your specific industrial environment without compromising its level of productivity.
Buy and sell with HGR
HGR has over 20 years of experience serving local and international customers looking to buy industrial tools, robots, parts, and equipment. Our 500,000 square foot facility in Euclid, Ohio carries thousands of items with truckloads of equipment coming in every day.
Plus, we purchase used surplus from warehouses across the United States so our vendors can clear out their facilities while recouping part of their initial investment.
Visit HGRinc.com to view the latest additions to our marketplace, save big on used industrial parts and equipment, and sell your surplus to us. You can also sign up and register for auctions on our brand new auctions platform, HGR Auctions! Register today to start pre-bidding for our next event.