Configuration and validation of dynamic simulation for design of vibratory bowl feeders

Vibratory bowl feeders (VBF) are widely used in industry, but their design process is time consuming. This paper outlines an approach for the automatic design of such feeders, and utilizes rigid body simulation for evaluating design configurations. To ensure the applicability of the simulation, the paper makes an extensive evaluation in simulation and compares it to real world experiments. The experiments show similar overall characteristics, but also reveal differences which need to be considered when using simulation as a tool for design. Finally the paper illustrates the design process by optimizing the parameters of two devices used for the orienting of parts (often referred to as traps), and tests their configurations in the real world.