Elscint Automation, an Indian vibratory equipment manufacturer, has recently manufactured a feeding system for feeding of engine valves having diameter from 20mm to 50mm and length between 30mm to 200mm. There were 50 sizes between these dimensions. A chain elevator feeder and a custom built vibratory linear feeder was used in this case. A 200-litre hopper was designed at the ground level where the engine valves can be dumped. The elevator feeder carries the engine valves from the hopper to a height of about 2m from where they are unloaded onto a customized Elscint in-line rail feeder which then transports the engine valves in “head-up” direction. These engine valves are then fed to a shaft strengthening machine. Speed of between 40 to 100 pieces per minute can be achieved depending upon the sizes of the engine valves. The system results in a smooth flow of components without any starvation to the shaft strengthening machine. This increased the productivity of the engine valve producing unit by 30% as the shaft strengthening machine was the bottleneck in the production process.
