Vibratory Bowl Feeder Setup

Those that work in an industry where small parts are required for automated machinery are likely familiar with vibratory bowls. These strange devices shake in such a way that screws, parts for toys, bearing races, or any number of doodads travel up curved ramp. These parts then come out one by one, allowing machinery to continue on its task of putting these items together.

While the design of the bowls is considered a “black art” by many engineers and technicians that work with them, one of the most important elements is the ramp on the end that helps the parts exit precisely. If you ever wanted to see one of these exit ramps made, then the video below shows the process in exquisite detail. In fact, it’s not assembled until after the 21:00 mark!

The feeder is controlled by an Arduino Uno, which counts the number of screws fed out of the bowl via a photo interrupt. It can then turn the bowl on and off using a PowerTail switch, which takes input from a 5VDC source in order to control an extension cable. While this type of bowl would normally take advantage of the main machine’s processor for control when deployed, it’s neat to see an Arduino used to help with setup and testing.

Code, along with the parts used in the project, can be found here.