A shoe feeder resembles short conveyor belts and can be used in factories.
A shoe feeder is a large machine that transports materials through parts of an industrial or manufacturing process. These machines resemble short conveyors and may also be known as plate feeders or shoe conveyors. Shoe feed machines allow process engineers and managers to automatically control the volume of materials being added to a process and to regulate the rate at which those materials are added.
Plate feeders are sometimes used in food processing or packaging.
Manufacturers make shoe troughs out of heavy, durable materials like steel. The machine must be able to handle large, bulky materials, such as rocks, which may have jagged edges. To support the weight of these types of materials, the belt portion of the shoe feeder is made of thick steel pans or trays. Chains along each end of the feeder help move trays along the conveyor area and are powered by an industrial motor or motor.
Shoe feeder machines can be found in mining operations, factories, and concrete plants. In mining, the shoe feeder loads rocks and ores for further crushing or processing. In a factory, these machines can be used to add ingredients to a feed or other mix. Due to their robust design, shoe conveyors are also a popular choice for transporting concrete and stone for crushing, recycling or mixing.
Materials to be loaded into the shoe feeder are held in a large hopper on one end of the belt. The amount of material that reaches the hopper is determined by the distance between this hopper and the top of the hopper. If the two are placed side by side, only a small volume of material can reach the belt at any given time. When the hopper is positioned further away, materials are dumped onto the belt faster to speed up the feeding process.
As the hopper deposits materials into the shoe feeder, the metal trays that make up the belt move horizontally like a conveyor belt. When the trays reach the end of the belt, they unload or insert the materials into another container. It can be a big box, a sorter, a shredder, or any other container needed to complete the specified process. Workers can adjust the speed of the belt to speed up or slow down the manufacturing process as needed. Workers can also stop the tape to stop feeding and make any necessary changes.
Plate feeding machines cannot be used in applications where precise feeding and metering is required. For example, they cannot be used to mix sensitive ingredients in exact proportion to make food, medicine, or cosmetics. They are also not designed to hold most liquids and require modification before effectively transporting fluids.