How a Heavy Duty Feeder Works & What to Look For

Enhance Production with Industrial Automation

As worldwide manufacturing still tries to match the demand generated by the onset of the pandemic more than a year ago, those responsible for making goods and products — manufacturers, forgers, part producers, and many more — are turning to robust automation solutions like heavy duty feeders to ramp up production capabilities.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the role that manufacturing plays in providing products that are essential to the health, safety, and continuity of multiple industries was highlighted. The strain caused by increased demand, driven by consumers’ available spending due to lack of travel or other entertainment expenses and aided by government relief spending, also underscored the extent to which global supply chains are vulnerable to disruption. And this has all occurred while new technologies, processes, and demand growth are reshaping the sector substantially.

This confluence of factors has left manufacturers from virtually every sector still vying to increase overall production. But with such demands come more challenges, like inefficient manual processes that lead to excess costs. One way many manufacturers are meeting these challenges is with strong automation solutions. Options like heavy duty feeders will increase production, decrease costs related to stoppages and manual labor, and give manufacturers the confidence to persevere.

Many organizations are now tracking overall uptime, or overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), as a way to gauge their production and efficiency. OEE is developed from a three-part formula that measures the Availability of said equipment, Performance, and the Quality of the products that are manufactured. By reducing equipment failures and maintenance issues, processing larger loads with fewer drops in part loading speed, and using equipment that consistently avoids producing components with defects, your automation processes can approach 100% OEE and elevate overall production. Heavy duty feeders are built and designed to help augment the Availability, Performance, and Quality aspects of your systems.

The Feedall Difference: Learn more about the capabilities of our Model 4800 Random Load Heavy Duty Billet Feeder here.

The Benefits of Implementing a Heavy Duty Feeder

Every industry uses unique components to achieve its specific outputs, and those components — from bearings to shock tubes and everything in between — must be singled out and oriented for the next phase of production. In addition, they must be fed at a consistent rate to reach production goals.

Flexibility is a trait that heavy duty feeders exhibit greatly, and one that aids both performance and quality metrics in your production. Designed specifically for feeding a variety of parts, heavy duty, and industrial hopper feeders will utilize custom elevators to ensure that not only are parts constantly lifted from the hopper but that they are also properly oriented and fed into the next stage. This results in an uninterrupted flow of products and minimizes worker involvement to increase performance. The proper orientation will cut down on potential rejects, which affects the quality.

Heavy duty feeders won’t be the only element or machine station in your production environment. Some parts will first need to be forged, for instance, and then fed into the larger-scale production chain. But heavy duty feeders can serve as a link between these phases, and integrate seamlessly into the overall production plan. They’ll reduce man-hours needed through operation, which contributes to reduced operating costs. The ability to work into your manufacturing processes will stabilize the availability of other related elements, and while also pushing overall performance.

Heavy duty feeders are powerful machines that will necessitate a certain amount of space, but — especially in times of increased production pushes — that could be a precious commodity in a production facility or warehouse. Material storage, equipment footprints, and clear space/walkways required to meet safety guidelines have their requirements as well, which will quickly devour the space available for part storage and maneuverability.

However, heavy duty feeders will help alleviate some of these issues — while enhancing performance and availability metrics — by serving to store parts in large capacities on their own. For instance, at Feedall Automation, our heavy duty part feeders have storage capacities of up to 25 cubic feet; this gives you additional space to store and process thousands of parts until they’re ready for feeding. You’ll be able to save time moving parts from storage to production, can potentially obtain more material or parts upfront, and will have more space available for other equipment or needs.

The Feedall Difference: Learn more about the options and customizations available with our Heavy Duty Random Loaded Bulk Orienting feeders here.

Get Your Heavy Duty Feeder from the Right Partner

Heavy duty feeders are essential pieces of equipment for manufacturers looking to ramp up production to match the current demands from the market and to give flexibility for the future. Just as essential is finding a reliable partner to provide the right feeder for your specific application. At Feedall, we customize every single piece of equipment we offer to our clients’ production goals and exact specifications. Our team of engineers and technicians will be the foundation on which to find, build, and design solutions for your particular production environment. More than that, Feedall will back all of its equipment with best-in-class repair and support services and parts availability.

If you’ve been looking for a way to improve the efficiency of your production environment, reduce costs, and increase overall output, a heavy duty feeder from Feedall Automation is the solution you need. As experts in industrial automation solutions with more than 70 years of delivering success in multiple markets, we’re the partner your business needs to gain a competitive advantage in today’s challenging world.