Headquartered in Port Royal, Penn., Vibro Industries, Inc. manufactures a premium line of Pneumatic Vibratory Transporters. The Vibro Air Transporter is the only transporter that is 100 percent air operated (no mechanical springs) and 100 percent American made.

      A Vibro Air-Operated Transporter can transport objects along an assembly line or remove scrap from beneath machine tools, even in close quarters where conventional conveyors cannot be installed.

      The concept of the air-operated Transporter was inspired by the need of the tooling and machining industry to have a reliable, safe and effective way to automate material removal. The Vibro Air Transporter utilizes the efficiency of air pressure to transport objects without the inherent problems associated with conventional conveyor systems.

      After 12 years of extensive experimentation and rigorous testing, Leroy Johnson introduced the first Air Transporter in 1985. Since then, Vibro has enjoyed continuous service with many manufacturing firms throughout the world. Besides the removal of scrap from beneath machine tools, the range of applications is limitless. From 5 to 500 pounds or more, Vibro provides a full range of Transporter models to meet or exceed your needs.

Case study

      The Case IH Foundry Plant (CIHFP), of Racine, Wisc., produces castings for the company’s agricultural and construction equipment. The grinding of these castings creates gray iron waste fragments that must be collected and removed from the machining area to eliminate scrap build-up that interferes with efficient finishing operations. Minute airborne iron particles can sometimes find their way into sleeve and bearing compartments inside machine tools, wearing down performance and machine life.

      In an abrasive environment like this one, the performance of the CIHFP Axle Housing Grinder depends on its internal conveying system, the Model 850 Air-Operated Transporter. Scrap is removed (or transported) away from the machine along a product tray (or chute) fitted to the Model 850. The principle behind the Vibro Transporter is its pneumatic cylinder design that operates on low air pressure to move trays back and forth at high speed, causing the material to steadily and quietly advance in one direction. On the slow-accelerated forward stroke, material is transported forward. During the rapid return-stroke, material remains stationary, thus ensuring constant movement in one direction.

      Russ Milner, journeyman millwright with more than 30 years experience and the man most responsible for the day-to-day maintenance at CIHFP, is satisfied with the way the Vibro Transporter has performed. “Our Model 850 is worked eight hours per day, five days per week during production,” Milner said. “In spite of this abrasive environment, our Model 850 has operated without fail ever since it was installed seven years ago.”

      Guy Korponai, maintenance manager at CIHFP, appreciates the value behind the Model 850. “Cost, reliability and serviceability is the most important criteria in selecting production-line equipment here at Case IH,” Korponai said. “Vibro Transporters run on air pressure alone. Air pressure costs less to generate. Sound is also an issue, and these units operate very quietly. Our Vibro unit has been in service for many years, so it’s certainly reliable.”

      Korponai believes Vibro Transporters would be a good choice for other Case IH manufacturing plants. “Depending on the application, I’m quite sure that it could be adapted,” he said. “I would recommend Vibro Transporters to other Case IH production managers.”

      In addition to being an integral component of the CIHFP Axle Housing Grinder, Vibro Transporters can be found in a wide variety of conveying applications in manufacturing operations worldwide. Vibro Transporters are offered in four models and they provide distinct benefits over conventional belt conveyors. First, their compact size fits easily into very tight spaces - making them an excellent choice for removing scrap from beneath machine tools. Second, they carry a big punch in a very small package. The Model 850 weighs only 47 lbs. (21.3 kgs.), yet it can move more than 500 pounds (227 kgs.) of load and 100 pounds (45 kgs.) of tray weight with just 3.4 CFM air consumption (certified at half the air consumption of other models). If you choose, you can also mount multiple trays to a single unit - replacing several conventional belt conveyors. Plus, every model provides accurate control over the rate of travel speed (Model 850 offers variable speed control from 15 to 40 feet per minute). All Vibro Transporters are made entirely in the USA and come with a 2-year warranty.

      The BRUTE 850 Air-Operated Transporter has been reengineered from Vibro’s original Model 850 Transporter to be lighter, smaller and just as powerful as ever. It can easily convey the heaviest loads. The unit has a combined capacity of more than 500 pounds of load and 100 pounds of tray weight.

      The Brute 850 is adaptable for multi-tray installation, even under low air consumption. This means that a single unit can replace four conventional belt conveyors. The Brute 850 provides variable speed control (15-40 ft./min.) and is available from stock.

  Key features include:

      •Two year warranty

      •No mechanical springs

      •Low air consumption

      •Variable speed (15-40 ft./min.)

      •Available from stock

  Optional features include:

      •A cover guard for harsh environments

      •Quick clamps for fast tray removal

      •Adjustable bearing support for trays

      •A Motion Sensor that automatically shuts down machinery if air supply is ever interrupted.

      Since 1985, Vibro Industries, Inc. has been a premier manufacturer of Pneumatic Vibratory Transporters. These compact and rugged transporters were originally manufactured to remove scrap from beneath press tools. Today, units are being used in other applications and have replaced conventional belt conveyors in many situations. Here are a few applications where the Vibro Air-Operated Transporter is meeting the challenge:

Allsteel Company, Hazelton, Penn.

      Allsteel is using the Vibro Air-Operated Transporter to solve a nagging inefficiency problem. When metal sheets were die cut, the extracted slugs would build up under the machine and require downtime for their removal. With a Vibro Air-Operated Transporter system in place now, testimonials from workers are impressive. The Transporter offers ease in set up and clean up and the production runs more smoothly now more than ever before.

Stanley-Vidmar, Allentown, Penn.

      Stanley-Vidmar has installed the Vibro Air-Operated Transporter on a heavy stamper. It is  using four  trays on a progressive die set up to eliminate shut down and clean up time. The multiple trays (on a single transporter) have eliminated the need for two conventional conveyor belts. An hour and 30 minutes of production time has been gained through the use of the Vibro Air-Operated Transporter, eliminating intermittent down time to manually remove scrap. Stanley-Vidmar used the Model 320 to move 2 trays and the Model 450 (a weight capacity of 125 pounds) to move four trays. Stanley-Vidmar has added rollers to stabilize extra long trays to further customize their Vibro Air-Operated Transporter system in meeting its needs.