Centrifugal Feeder Design

Tutorial

A centrifugal feeder, or rotary feeder, has a conical central driven rotor

surrounded by a circular bowl wall. The feeder separates parts utilizing
centrifugal force and the parts revolve with high speed and are pulled to the
outside of the bowl.
The design shown in this tutorial is a more sophisticated concept where an
inclined revolving disc brings the parts to the rim of a revolving bowl. This
concept allows for a series of qualifiers to gently orient the parts for transfer to a
downstream process.

Warning This tutorial is to

serve as a guide covering most
design areas. User is to
consult and respect local
government regulations where
the unit is to operate.

Phase 1: General geometry

Phase 2: Drive design
Phase 3: Structure / Tooling
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Phase 1 General geometry (1)

Operation:
Parts are metered from a prefeeder on the rotating disc.
The disc carries the parts to the rim of the rotating bowl in a single lane.
Fixed mechanical or pneumatic qualifiers orient and qualify the parts.
Improperly oriented parts are ejected from the rim to the disc for recirculation.
Properly oriented parts moved out of the rim and out of the feeder.
Feed rate is affected mainly by:
The part size, its natural orientation and the desired orientation.
The disc and bowl speeds.
Part speed shall not exceed 100 meters/min to prevent damages.
BOWL RIM

DISC
BOWL

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Phase 1 General geometry (2)

Calculated rate:
The feed rate, R, can be approximated using:
L : the part longest dimension.
V : the part speed (or the bowl rotating speed x 3.14 x bowl rim diameter).
P : the percentage of parts that will be in the desired orientation.
R=PV/L
A large bowl rim diameter will give time and space for the parts to be qualified
and oriented. So bigger bowl means higher rate.

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Phase 1 General geometry (3)

Components (exploded view)
Tooling support

Tooling backup ring

Outer shell

Cone
Rotating disc

Disc hub

Rotating bowl

Bowl hub

Shell attachment

Base

Leveling foot

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Phase 1 General geometry (4)

Components (section view)

The bowl has a spherical inner

surface. This allows the disc to rotate
in an inclined orientation and
maintains a small gap with the bowl
around its perimeter

Static hub fixed on base

Ball bearings

Roller chain & sprocket

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Phase 1 General geometry (5)

Components (section view)

Roller chain & sprocket

Bowl gearmotor
Torque limiter
Disc gearmotor
Chain tensioner

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Phase 2 Drive design (1)

Drive
The drive is the assembly of components which rotates the disc and the bowl.
The disc rotates within the bowl at a speed that may be equal, higher or lower
than the bowl speed.
A speed difference between bowl and disc is used to improve loading of the
bowl rim.
Chain tensioner

Torque limiter

Bowl gearmotor

Torque limiter

Chain tensioner

Disc gearmotor

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Phase 2 Drive design (2)

Drive
The static hub is bolted on the base.
The bowl is bolted on the bowl hub which rotates over the static hub.
A large sprocket drives the bowl hub.
Through the static hub, the drive shaft rotates the disc.

Disc hub
Steel: UNS G10200

Ball bearing
Static hub
Steel: UNS G10200

Bowl hub
Steel: UNS G10200
Ball bearing

Large
sprocket

Base

Torque limiter
Small
sprocket
Drive shaft
Steel: UNS G86200

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Phase 2 Drive design (3)

Disc drive
The gearmotor drives in rotation all items listed below and the parts carried by
the disc.
Gearmotor output speed, Sd = (maximum part speed) / (3.14 x disc diameter) = {rpm}
Gearmotor output torque, Td = (Id + (Wp D2 / 4)) Ad + Tf = {N*m or lbs-in}
where:
Id : total rotational inertia of the items listed below
Wp : weight of the parts carried by the disc.
D : disc diameter
Ad : required disc acceleration after a complete stop.
Ad = 3.14 Sd / (30 td )
td : time to accelerate (below 2 sec.)
Tf : frictional torque in the bearings
Torque limiter and roller chain are to be selected using this data.
Cone
PVC

Disc hub

Disc
PVC

Driveshaft

Torque
limiter
Sprocket

Gearmotor

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Phase 2 Drive design (4)

Bowl drive
The gearmotor drives in rotation all items listed below and the parts carried by
the bowl.
Gearmotor output speed, Sd = (maximum part speed) / (3.14 x bowl diameter) = {rpm}
Gearmotor output torque, Td = (Id + (Wp D2 / 4)) Ad + Tf = {N*m or lbs-in}
where:
Id : total rotational inertia of the items listed below
Wp : weight of the parts carried by the bowl.
D : bowl diameter
Ad : required disc acceleration after a complete stop.
Ad = 3.14 Sd / (30 td )
td : time to accelerate (below 2 sec.)
Tf : frictional torque in the bearings
Torque limiter and roller chain are to be selected using this data.

Bowl
Cast aluminum

Bowl hub

Bowl floor
Aluminum: UNS
A96061

Sprocket

Gearmotor

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Phase 3 Structure/Tooling (1)

Structure
The structure supports all the rotating components and the outside shell. Its
construction is made of painted carbon steel (UNS K02600). The triangular
geometry allows easy mounting for most components.

Shell attachment
Base plate

Post

Leveling foot

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Phase 3 Structure/Tooling (2)

Tooling
The tooling is all the components that qualify/orient the parts: mechanical
stoppers, air jets, pneumatic actuators, rotating wheel, . These components
are mounted on the tooling backup wall which serves also as an external guide.
This wall is mounted to the tooling support, and the tooling support is mounted
on top of the outer shell.

Tooling support

Outer shell

Tooling backup
wall

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