Feeders & Processing · Integrated
Base-Activated Feeder
The vibratory metering pan that sets the whole line up to sort — an even, controlled burden, adjustable from the control room.
The Sherbrooke OEM base-activated feeder position integrates a two-mass natural-frequency vibratory feeder: a base-mounted centrifugal motor excites the pan through reaction springs, so drive energy is amplified by resonance and the dynamic loads passed into the building are negligible. Feed rate is VFD-adjustable from the controls. The pan carries an AR wear liner and runs at a slight decline; stroke is tuned per material. Sherbrooke OEM engineers the hopper interface, support structure, chutes, and controls integration from Sherbrooke, Quebec.
Where It Fits
- Metering from infeed hoppers and bag splitters onto sorting lines — the machine that sets burden depth for everything downstream
- Feeding screens and optical sorters that demand an even, thin layer
- Surge absorption between batch loading and continuous processing
Configuration & Options
Every unit is engineered per project — these are the configuration choices and options we quote against, not limits.
| Model class | Base-activated vibratory feeder (BAF class), sized per throughput |
|---|---|
| Pan width | Commonly around 72–78 in |
| Pan length | Per layout; engineering default around 10 ft |
| Stroke | Tuned per material — engineering default 1/2 to 5/8 in |
| Decline | Slight pan decline, around 5° |
| Feed rate | VFD-adjustable from plant controls |
| Wear liner | AR liner standard (1/4 in class); CHT per duty |
Construction
| Drive principle | Two-mass natural-frequency design — base-mounted centrifugal motor |
|---|---|
| Isolation | Reaction springs evenly distributed; negligible dynamic loads to the structure |
| Pan | Formed steel pan with AR wear liner |
| Supports | Structural steel by Sherbrooke OEM, braced and anchored |
| Guarding | Guarded to OSHA requirements |
Base-Activated Feeder — Frequently Asked Questions
Why does feeding decide how well the line sorts?
Every screen, magnet, and optical sorter downstream is designed for a burden depth. Slug the line and material buries itself — screens blind, magnets cannot reach the steel, cameras see only the top layer. The feeder converts loader buckets and bag-splitter pulses into the even ribbon the rest of the plant was engineered for.
What does "two-mass natural frequency" actually mean?
The motor drives a base mass connected to the pan through reaction springs tuned near resonance. The springs amplify the motion, so a modest motor produces a powerful, consistent stroke — and because the two masses counter-move, almost no vibration passes into the building steel.
How is the feed rate adjusted?
From the VFD at the control panel — speed changes the pan stroke response and with it the conveying rate, live, while the line runs. The mechanical stroke range itself is set per material at commissioning.
Need dimensions, capacity, or a budget price?
Send your material profile and layout — engineering answers with real numbers, from the team that will fabricate it in Sherbrooke.
Talk to Engineering