Strengths and Weaknesses: Pneumatic Feeder VS NC Servo Feeder

When people choose the auxiliary equipment to feed the metal strip into the power press machine automatically, the pneumatic feeder and servo feeder always come to our minds. They have been widely used in the metal stamping automation field. However, it is still a real headache to choose which coil feeding equipment is more suitable. The article is aimed at introducing the principles of pneumatic feeder and servo feeder and analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. ‘Either pneumatic feeder or servo feeder?’ will not be a difficult question anymore.

 

Pneumatic feeder: Easy to install; low cost

 

The pneumatic feeder, also known as air feeder, is the earliest automatic coil feeding machine in the metal stamping industry. Driven by the compressed air, the machine clamps and releases the material to make the metal strip fed into power press machine. The feed length is changeable by adjusting the length of the stroke of the air cylinder.

It is easier to install and operate pneumatic feeder on the power press machine. The construction of pneumatic feeder is fairly simple so that it is far cheaper than servo feeder. The obvious advantage is that the use of pneumatic feeder helped to keep costs down. If you don't require the high degree of feed accuracy and feed length is short, the pneumatic feeder is a pretty good choice. On the other hand, the surface of materials is easier to be scratched and damaged when it is going through the pneumatic feeder, so it does not suit for delicate material, coated material and ultra-thin material.

Servo feeder: High feed accuracy; excellent flexibility

The servo feeder integrates high tech servo controls and drives with rugged mechanical feeds. The servo motor and PLC make the rollers rotate, clamp and release the materials to achieve automatic feeding. All the rollers are driven by precision gear.

It is extra convenience to enter and set feed length and feed speed on the touch screen. Job storage can shorten the set-up time. The electronic controls have the flexibility of dependable accuracy and faster speeds. If the feed accuracy is high and feed length is long, and there are many kinds of material to handle, the servo feeder is the optimum option. And it also suits for ultra-wide material. However, the servo feeder is much more expensive than the pneumatic feeder.