Hopper

A highly sensible piece of feeding technology, DEPRAG’s belt-driven hopper makes for an important addition to a feeding system if the production staff finds it necessary to refill the feeder often, or if the feeder is operated infrequently and an optimization of the process is desired. 

Extends Refill Intervals

Belt-driven hoppers are the ideal supplement to feeding systems to dramatically increase the required refill intervals. A fill-level sensor installed in the feeding system sends a signal to a controller when the minimum fill-level is reached. The controller activates the hopper, and the feeder will be refilled through the outflow-chute until the fill-level sensor signals that the desired fill-level has been reached. According to the required fill-volume, the refill intervals may be reduced to only once or twice per shift which frees up production personnel for other duties.

Consistent Fill-Volume

A hopper assures the consistent fill-volume in a feeding system. Moreover, a hopper is especially advantageous when using a vibratory feeding system, as these types of feeders actually require a certain fill-mass for proper operation. In particular, if the vibratory bowl is too full and therefore heavy, the feeding system will slow down. If on the other hand the vibratory bowl grows empty, the vibration intensity increases. Both conditions reduce the feed-volume and increase wear and tear. Only a consistent fill-volume allows the optimized adjustment of a vibratory feed system.

Gentle Part Handling

The vibration duration of a feeding system can be reduced to a minimum when using a belt hopper. A gentler handling of the component to be fed is possible if the vibratory bowl is not too full and the feeding process is fast. A hopper supports those conditions by evenly refilling a vibratory bowl with just the right volume.

Flexible

A DEPRAG hopper is a flexible device that can be used for different parts - a costly refitting is not necessary. The outflow-chute of the hopper can be adjusted to perfectly fit the size of the component to be fed. Additional regulating possibilities allow the hopper to be adjustable into two different directions.

Low Noise Level and Wear-resistant

The hopper incorporates a fully sealed outflow-chute, which results in considerable noise reduction. An optional noise barrier can be supplied with all our vibratory drives, which is especially designed to work with our hoppers. This way, a low noise level of the completely closed vibratory-drive is guaranteed even when combining it with a hopper.

The use of wear-resistant materials assures high quality, rapid availability, and outstanding efficiency of DEPRAG storage devices.

Easy to Control and Simple to Operate

DEPRAG hoppers are equipped with a 24V gear motor. A PLC can thus easily control the unit using the appropriate output. The gear motor can also be activated manually by using an integrated button. This is an advantage during the refilling of the hopper itself, because the contents can be moved easily towards the outflow-chute.

Each device is delivered with comprehensive documentation, which clearly describes the installation and operation of the hopper.

A number of accessories are offered, including an adjustment for the outflow-chute (for incline adjustment), a height-adjustable housing stand, a foot-bracket, as well as a sensor which indicates the chute position.