Apron vs. Vibrating Feeder: Pros and Cons of Each

Feeders are an important part of material handling systems. They control the flow of the materials, helping to expedite and control operations in a variety of industries. One question that comes up frequently is whether it is better to use an apron feeder or a vibrating feeder. There are the pros and cons to each type of feeder, and often the best option will depend on how the feeder is to be used.

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Apron Feeders

Apron feeders are well suited for applications where large tonnages of material will be moved, and are also ideal for situations where severe impact loading is expected. These feeders are also ideal when rough or abrasive materials are being processed, such as commonly is the case with ore and rock.

Using an apron feeder provides a steady feed, as well as a sturdy one. These feeders are perhaps the most durable in the business, and are also versatile enough to work with materials that are wet, frozen, clayish or sticky. Excellent feed control with a variety of materials and long-term reliability make apron feeders so popular in many mining operations.

Vibrating Feeders

Vibrating or vibratory feeders are able to accommodate a wide variety of materials and particle sizes. These feeders are well suited for use with both heavy and abrasive materials, and are a good option for sorting a variety of different materials. This is commonly the case with gravel and stone-crushing operations, where different sized stones may need to be handled and processed differently.

Vibrating feeders may not be ideal for materials that are very fine, however. Materials that are sticky also may not work well with vibratory feeders as the material may build up in the pan.

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The main purpose of a Vibrating Grizzly Feeder is to feed a primary crusher in a primary application. Vibrating Grizzly Feeders reduce the amount of material going into the crusher by scalping out the product size ahead of the crusher. This reduces the size of the primary crusher required.

The Vibrating Grizzly Feeder provides a continuous feed rate under a variety of loading and material conditions. Vibrating Grizzly Feeders are designed to take heavy shock loads from trucks, shovels and loaders. This type of feeder can be used in quarries, recycling, industrial processing, mining, and sand and gravel operations, as well as in a wide range of processing industries

Vibrating Grizzly Feeders can be used in rip-rap plant applications to sort ROM material for use on dams, water control and decorative stone applications; for sorting gravel in dredge applications for sized decorative landscaping applications;  to scalp roots out of dirt and other materials to improve the product value for a customer; or to spread material from a conveyor to a wider secondary crusher, such as a Roll Crusher, where no grizzly section is required.

How Vibrating Grizzly Feeders Work

The Vibrating Grizzly Feeder consists of a pan section at the feed end to receive and start segregating the material. The discharge end consists of a grizzly section with openings that allow the undersized material to pass before discharging into the crusher. The feeder is mounted on springs and vibrated via a mechanism located underneath the feeder pan, protecting it from misfed material that fails to reach the feed hopper. The vibration force is angled to the feeder, pointing toward the discharge end. This action of the vibrator forces the material toward the discharge end while segregating the material, causing the finer particles to move toward the bottom of the load.

As the material travels to the grizzly section, the finer material settles to the bottom and passes through the openings in the grizzly. This bypassed material decreases the amount of material going into the crusher, reducing the size of the crusher required as well as the wear inside the crusher. The bypassed material can be combined with the material going through the crusher on the under conveyor. This prescreened material protects the under conveyor from the impact of the material exiting the crusher. The prescreened material can be segregated as a product, or it can be discarded if the fines in the material are a contaminate.