A day with a Chinese engineer

Wes · 2011-02-26T01:19:40+00:00

The other day I had a Chinese engineer that is currently working at our designfacility making parts on one of my lines. He wanted to understand just how our productis produced. Well he saw a vibratory bowl feeder that feeds screws in to the cell. That thing facinated him. He wanted to know how it worked. I know some of thebasics. There is an electro magnet that vibrates the bowl, there are leaf springs thatare ground to cause the bowl to resonate with the electro magnet. All that seemed straightforward. Then he asked the hard question. Why do the fasteners move up hill? When I first explained what I knew he was asking if magnets were moving theparts. I knew that other than vibrating, the magnetic field wasn't moving them. So after scratching my head, I explored the art by looking at patents. As Isuspected, pure mechanical feeders exist. I really worked my google fu because I keptlooking at it and could not figure out what was happening. Asking a few other engineers had one with better googlefu than me findingsomething. I read it a few times and wasn't sure I had it and asked my coworker that got itfrom the engineer that found it to give it to the Chinese guy so he could read it. Itspoke of pendulums and such, I didn't get it. After a while working on another project I realized what was going on. I have abowl with ramps heading up hill in a spiral. On the bottom there is a plate that anelectro magnet that is grabbing and releasing every 1/60 or 1/120 of a second. The leafsprings are ground to bring the bowl to resonance at the period of the magnet. The leafsprings are inclined so that when the bowl is drawn to the magnet, the bowl rotatescounterclockwise and goes down, falling from under the fasterners. when the magnet isde-energised the bowl rises, contacts fasteners and moves them ahead as the bowl rotates clockwise. Both the Chinese engineer (doctorial candidate) and this maintenance tech waspretty darn happy understanding something yesterday. He...

Feb 26, 2011 24 Replies

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Wes 15 years ago

I could get there to work Thursday but due to vacation time remaining, I would not be able to stay for tear down. Please advise which way you want me, Thursday or Sunday night after the show.

I was looking for CDCO last year. I had the jones to buy some tool holders. This year one of their collet chucks and a L-00 mounting plate if they have it.

Wes

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Brian Lawson 15 years ago

not be able

Hey Wes,

For myself, I'd like your help on Sunday for tear-down. But for you, Friday is a good day to get the early pickings of stuff for sale. Lemme know as we get closer. Glad you can get there anytime.

CDCO Frank is supposed to be there, and I want some stuff from him too. I also want some stuff from "Downriver Tools".

Take care.

Brian

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Wes 15 years ago

not be able

I'll schedule for teardown once again. Maybe next year I can catch a Thursday if I don't have weather and health issues.

Wes

-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

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Brian Lawson 15 years ago

BIIIIGG SNIP

Hey again Wes,

That will be great. Glad to see you again and have the help.

I don't know what the Seminars are yet, although one of them I hear is going to be from a gentleman with a metallurgy degree. He did a practice run on the guys at the Detroit club (MDMC) last month and it went over well.

It's a little over 140 mile round-trip to the meetings for me, plus a ferry boat ride, The St. Clair River was frozen over, and the weather sucked anyway, and I'm over 70 now and the thrill of winter driving has kinda passed me by lately. So I didn't get to the meeting.

Anyway, good of you to let us know, and I hope some of the other "regulars" from this group get there too. So much the better if anyone can contribute a few hours to help too !!

Take care.

Brian Lawson, Bothwell, Ontario.

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