Informed knowledge of the significance of weight feeder

In today’s tough global economy, the pressures for proper maintenance, increased longevity of process equipment, and optimal performance are higher than ever before.

Feeders are typically engineered to address a specific material at a specific discharge rate. Changes in material, operating conditions (such as ambient or material temperatures), plant vibration levels, as well as changes in material characteristics, can all affect feeder performance. Choosing a feeder that can be easily reconfigured in your plant to handle new conditions can help you solve these problems.

Unlike the volumetric screw feeder, a continuous loss in weight feeder (LIW) is a gravimetric feeder that directly measures the material’s weight to achieve and maintain a predetermined feed rate that’s measured in units of weight per time. The LIW feeder, consists of a hopper, refill device, weight-sensing device (typically either a digital or analog scale or load cells), material-discharge device (typically a volumetric screw feeder powered by a variable-speed motor), and a controller.

The bulk material or liquid is discharged from a hopper with a constant weight per unit time by weighing the hopper and regulating the speed of the feeding device depending on the rate of weight loss. The weighing control system compensates for non-uniform material-flow characteristics and variations in bulk density, thus providing a high degree of feeding accuracy.

Proper installation, ideal weighing configurations, and appropriate choice of weighing controls can result in the avoidance of a variety of future feeder problems.  Informed knowledge of the significance of these influences is key to optimizing its performance.