Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 18

52 KEY FEATURES AND APPLICATIONS: High Temperatures Vibratory conveyors can handle extremely high temperatures as the pan is constructed of heavy gauge steel and engineered to be rigid and robust. Special design considerations should include thermal growth as the surface heats up due to the hot product. Replaceable pans can be designed out of thick, abrasion resistant steel and designed for future replacement. Mold Dump & Casting Transfer Mold lines are never consistent. Mold rates, pouring rates, and sand binders are always fluctuating. Therefore, vibratory conveyors should include a drive system that is flexible enough to compensate for these fluctuations. It should be designed to handle upset conditions and be shielded from high temperatures. In green sand (as well as almost all applications) the drive mechanism is easily configured in such a way that it will start when fully loaded at the maximum allowable capacity. A properly designed drive will have the ability to start with the maximum load and run in empty/low-capacity conditions. Casting Cooling Cooling castings requires sufficient retention time and air volume to cool them to the desired temperature. This can sometimes take several hours of accumulation at the production rate. Therefore, vibratory conveyors must operate efficiently over long periods of time to move hot castings through cool down on a repeatable basis. Many times, fans are added externally to the vibratory conveyor to assist in temperature reduction. Properly installing the fans for counterflow draft will maximize cooling. Dust and noise containment can be controlled with the addition of hoods. Sorting & De-sprue Conveyor flexibility should allow for multiple sorting points of various casting sizes and continuous separating of castings. They are ideal for separating risers, gating, and sprues while the casting is in motion. Additional discharge points can be added for additional finishing lines. A properly designed sorting conveyor provides a slow shuffle action, which makes it much easier to sort/delegate as well as reducing noise. Additional noise abatement can also be included to improve operator atmosphere. Vibratory conveyors are used throughout the metal casting from jobbing foundries to high production facilities. They are one of the easiest and most affordable pieces of equipment that can be added to improve foundry operations. When they are custom designed to withstand hot and abrasive materials and used correctly in the foundry line, vibratory conveyors will improve your bottom line. Contact: CHUCK MITCHELL [email protected]