For almost 30 years Vibrafloor has provided advanced reclaim options for bulk-handling companies.
As the name suggests, Vibrafloor utilizes vibration to create a wave in a flexible steel plate, which erodes the stored material and gently sweeps the product towards the outlets for reclaiming. Multiple modules cover the floor of a storage facility, using the wave energy to collapse the leading edge of stored product, break down bridging and cause the product to fall and aerate. After collapsing, the product becomes fluidized by the vibration, which allows it to be gently swept into the troughs and reclaim tunnels.
Because Vibrafloor efficiently reclaims a wide variety of free flowing and cohesive products, it appeals to customers from diverse markets, particularly those seeking high redundancy and high reclaim rates and those requiring the full volume of the dome to be cleared to avoid the risks associated with long term residence of product in storage. Vibrafloor is also a good choice for customers moving more difficult products like potash and sticky soymeal.
One key Vibrafloor benefit is low maintenance; the product requires no routine maintenance aside from regularly scheduled inspections. The system consumes low levels of energy, achieves complete store emptying, and suffers minimal wear from abrasive products. The vibration level does not transfer any damaging vibration or stress the storage facility, generate dust, or degrade stored materials.
For customers concerned about safety, Vibrafloor is completely automatic in operation, avoiding the need for personnel to enter the dome. The modular construction also provides a high level of redundancy unmatched by other reclaim technologies.
Initially, the system was assembled in situ on site, “which was time consuming, expensive, and difficult to maintain the exacting standards,” said commercial director Simon Prince of Vibrafloor. For many years “the modules have been factory-produced, pre-assembled modules, which makes installation much easier and quicker, ensuring quality standards can be maintained.” Typically Dome Technology’s team, supplemented by local labor, installs the floor on its own projects; Vibrafloor then provides start-up assistance to ensure proper function.