Silo Bin Activator

The Silo bin activator, also known as the "Activated hopper" or "Silo vibrating bottom", is a processing equipment used for loosing and discharging powder, granular or small lumpy materials in silos. As a professional anti-bridging solution, its core function is to break the "bridging" and "rat hole" phenomena of materials through vibration, ensuring even, stable flow of materials from silos and hoppers while preventing blockages. It is widely used in chemical engineering, building materials, food, mining, and pharmaceuticals. 

The fluidity of some powdery bulk materials is very poor, and the unloading operation cannot be realized through various auxiliary flow methods, such as silo wall vibrator, air hammer, hammer and even air cannon. The horizontal vibration of VRV silo bin activators generates shear forces, which allows the continuous flow of bulk material. It is mounted below the hopper for arch breaking and uniform feeding.

Silo Problems & Silo Bin Activator Solution Diagram

Working Principle of Silo Bin Activator

When the vibration motor is started, vibration waves is generated and transmitted to the material through the activation cone (the core component of the silo vibrating bottom). This vibration can break the friction and cohesion between materials, making them in an activated state and allowing them to flow out more smoothly from the bottom of the silo.

‣ Energy input: The silo bin activator is equipped with a vibrating motor. When the motor operates, it generates high-frequency and low-amplitude vibration energy (the vibration frequency is usually 50 - 300Hz, and the amplitude is 0.1 - 5mm, which can be adjusted according to the characteristics of the material).

‣ Energy transfer and material activation: The vibration energy is transferred to the hopper body through the elastic elements of the hopper (such as springs and rubber shock absorbers), creating a relative movement between the inner wall of the hopper and the material, and breaking the cohesive force and frictional force between the material particles.

‣ Breaking blockages and uniform discharging: The "activated" material loses its stability. The original "bridging" (the material forms an arch support above the hopper outlet) and "rat holes" (the material only flows out from local channels while the rest remains stagnant) formed by gravity compaction are broken. Finally, the material evenly flows towards the outlet along the inner wall of the hopper, achieving continuous discharging.

Structural Characteristics of the Silo Bin Activator

Silo Bin Activator Complete Structure (Component Labeled)

Advantages of Silo Bin Activators

‣ Robust, enduring & compact design, ideal for space-limited silo installation scenes.

‣ Seamless cone structure with double flange & seamless gasket, ensuring leak-free long-term operation and reducing material residual dead corners for stable anti-bridging performance.

‣ Custom material specifictions to meet the hygiene or corrsion-resistence of different industries (food, pharmaceutical, chemical, mining etc.)

‣ Optional wear-resistence plates (stainless steel for food/pharmaceutical use plastics for corrosion prevention, ceramics for high-abrasion materials)

‣ Durable suspension & seal assemblies, preventing vibration-induced loosening and ensuring consistent discharging efficiency. As a professional bin activator manufacturer in China, we optimize every detail for glodbal clients.

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Industries Applied - Silo Bin Activator

Silo Bin Activator Applicable Industries Chart

‣ Chemical industry: Silo bin activator unloads materials from silos of PVC resin powder plastic pellets, fertilizer pellets, and detergent powder. It effectively avoids material caking and rat-hole formation in humid enviroments, with optional Atex zone 22 certification for dust-explosive working sites.

‣ Building materials industry: SIlo bin activator supplies cement powder, lime powder, fly ash, and san and gravel materials to mixing stations. It effectively prevents "bridging" and rat hole formation at the silo outlet, avoiding uneven mixing of finished building products.

‣ Food industry: Silo bin activator supplies continuous feeding for production lines of flour, starch, grains, candy pellets, and cocoa powder. Its stainless-steel structure meets FDA food contact standards, avoiding cross-contamination caused by material wall sticking.

‣ Mining/metallurgical industry: Silo bin activator supplies ores, ore powder, and coke to conveyor lines. Its optional wear-resistence linings(ceramic-plastic) adapt to higly abrasive materials, reducing equipment wear and extending service life.

‣ Pharmaceutical industry: Silo bin activator meters and supplies medicine powder, capsule pellets, and pharmaceutical intermediates. Its precision vibrating system meets GMP certification requirements for accuracy, cleanliness, and closed material transfer.

‣ Feed industry: Silo bin activator discharges feed pellets, fish meal, and feed additives, preventing bridging and caking in humid workshops.

‣ Coating industry: Silo bin activator handles pigment powder and resin powder, solving poor fluidity and wall-sticking problems for powder coating production.

Selection Guide: Key Factors to Consider and Bin Activator Specs

Silo Bin Activator Selection Table (Material, Capacity & Compliance Parameter)

How to select a right Bin activator? The following selection criteria correspond to the silo bin activator selection table above, you can match parameters one by one for accurate selection： 

1, Material Characteristics: Particle size (fine powder / granules / lumps), bulk density (heavy / light), moisture content (dry / wet), viscosity (low viscosity / high viscosity) - These determine the vibration frequency, amplitude, and the material of the bin activator, ensuring optimal anti-bridging and anti-caking performance. 

2, Discharge Capacity: Select the bin activator diameter (common diameters: 200 - 1500 mm) and vibration power according to the hourly demand of the production line (m³/h or t/h). 

3, Installation Environment: Prioritize explosion-proof silo bin activator (equiped with explosion-proof motor, optimal ATEX Zone 22 certification) for dust-explosiev chemical/mining scenes, fully sealed structures (meeting FDA/GMP hygiene standards) for food/pharmaceutical industries, and vertical/horizontal models tailored to on-site space dimensions.

4, Surface treatment: Stainless steel bin activators adopt polishing or sandblasting (meets food/pharmaceutical hygiene standards); carbon steel hoppers use paint coating (cost-effective for chemical/mining abrasive material scenes).

5, Others: Spares & accessories for silo bin activator (silo flange, vibrating motors) ensure long-term stable operation; choose matching accessories based on your silo model. VRV team, as an experienced bin activator manufacturer, provides free custom selection services for every client.

FAQ

  Q1: Why does the silo bin activator still have material bridging or rat-hole during operation? How to troubleshoot?

A: Main causes are mismatched vibration parameters, excessive material moisture, or worn hopper linings. Troubleshoot by adjusting frequency/amplitude, drying materials, or replacing wear-resistant linings.

  Q2: What material of silo bin activator should I choose for food/pharmaceutical industries to meet FDA/GMP standards?

A: Choose 304/316L stainless steel hoppers with polished/sandblasted surfaces and fully sealed structures to meet FDA/GMP hygiene requirements.

  Q3: How to select an explosion-proof silo bin activator for chemical/mining dust-explosive scenarios? Is ATEX certification necessary?

A: Select models with explosion-proof motors and sealed shells. ATEX certification is essential to meet on-site safety standards for dust-explosive environments.

  Q4: How to adjust the vibration frequency and amplitude of silo bin activator for different materials (fine powder/granules/lumps)?

A: Fine powder: low amplitude + high frequency; Granules: medium amplitude + medium frequency; Lumps: high amplitude + low frequency.

  Q5: What daily maintenance points should be paid attention to for silo bin activator to extend its service life?

A: Regularly check motor bolts, replace aged shock absorption springs, and maintain sealing gaskets to avoid resonance and leakage.

  Q6: Which type of silo bin activator (vertical/horizontal) is suitable for narrow installation space?

A: Horizontal models are better for narrow spaces—they occupy less vertical space and fit dense workshop layouts.

  Q7: How to choose wear-resistant linings for silo bin activator in abrasive material scenarios (mining/chemical)?

A: Choose ceramic or heavy-duty plastic linings for highly abrasive ores/chemical materials to extend hopper service life.

Any issues occurred during the life cycle of VRV vibratory equipment will be analyzed by our engineers thus to find out the optimal solution. Our company is also willing to assist customer’s field experts and maintenance engineers and provide our test data and advices to help them solve problems.

  Q8: What are the advantages of choosing a China bin activator manufacturer?

A: We offer cost-effective customization, strict quality control, and full after-sales support, suitable for global industry applications.

Bin Activator Industry Applications for Solving Silo Discharging Issues

As a professional bin activator manufacturer based in China, we have produced a wide variety of bin activator models, and these unretouched factory factory photos show the exact equipment we've supplied to solve material discharging problems for clients worldwilde.

Reliable Silo Bin Activator Manufacturer

VRV factory boasts advanced production lines and precision testing equipment, ensuring every unit of China bin activator rolls off the line with strict quality control. We hold authoritative certifications including ATEX, FDA, and GMP, fully meeting the compliance requirements of chemical, food, pharmaceutical, and mining industries worldwide.

As a trusted bin activator manufacturer with years of R&D and manufacturing expertise, we have provided customized discharging solutions for hundreds of global clients, solving their material bridging, caking, and uneven feeding problems efficiently. Partner with us for proven strength, certified quality, and dedicated after-sales support.

China Bin Activator Manufacturer & Supplier

1, ISO management system certification guarantees consistent performance of vibratory feeder, supporting reliable material conveying solutions for multi-industry clients.

2, CE approved electromagnetic vibrator for vibratory feeder, meets strict EU safety requirements, ideal for industrial applications in European regions.

3, SSU&I, as a specialized, sophisticated, unique & innovative enterprise, we focus on R&D of high-precision vibrating feeder, providing customized solutions for niche industry pain points.

4, FDA approved vibratory feeder, compliant with food and drug industry hygiene requirements, perfect for contamination-free material handling.