The Differences Between Air Motors and Screw Feeders in Manufacturing Operations

Efficient manufacturing depends on using the right automation for moving materials through production processes. Choosing between air motor or screw feeders suits different factory needs based on factors like required torque, controls complexity, duty cycle ratings, responsiveness, and more.

Pneumatic air motors provide simple rotary motion from compressed shop lines. screw feeders feature programmable electric drives metering bulk solids or liquids at precise volumetric rates. This article explains the pros and cons differentiating each solution and why Flexible Assembly System products offer the best features optimized for reliability across industrial use cases.

Understanding Pneumatic Air Motor Benefits

Air motors convert compressed air into spinning mechanical force. Vanes or rotors integral to their internal design capture kinetic energy as pressurized gas expands. This generates high initial torque in a compact footprint without requiring external electromechanics.

Machine builders often utilize air motors when basic start/stop rotational force gets the job done. Use cases include:

Running simple conveyors or hoppers
Powering drum/container indexing
Turning valves, gates, dampers
Rotating mixing paddles
Opening/closing butterfly valves
Transferring bulk materials short distances

Key advantages of pneumatic air motors include:

Simple operation from available shop air
Compact all-in-one design
Quick starting torque response
Low acquisition cost options
Rugged dust/dirt resistance

Air prep controlling moisture, particulates, and lubrication must meet specifications for longevity. Without programmability, custom speed control adds components. And excess shop line pressures wear vanes faster. But for basic repeat motion air motors satisfy effectively.

Why Electric Screw Feeders Excel Metering Bulk Solids

Electric screw feeders shine controlling volumetric material flow rates with precision. Their elongated troughs house a rotating auger stretched lengthwise. Flighting spirals down the screw length to pull bulk solid or liquid contents along the tube.

Granular products flow smoothly regardless of outside hopper inconsistencies. Changeable screws and pitches meter rates from tiny increments up to 50,000 lbs/hr.

Manufacturers select screw feeds when process requirements demand high accuracy or automation flexibility, including:

Volumetric filling processes
Weighing/batching ingredients
Feeding injection molding machines
Topping/coating operations
Mixing custom blends
Transferring between hoppers
Ingredient portion packaging

Key advantages differentiating screw feeders:

Programmable closed loop speed/volume control
Handles diverse bulk products & viscosities
Meters volumes from grams to tons per hour
Thousand to one speed/torque turndown range
Weigh scale and process bus interfacing
Easy reciprocating hopper integration
Low maintenance brushless DC designs

Screw feeder limitations mostly tie to material flow properties and attempting to exceed duty design. Without enough hopper head loading from bulk density, some products shear instead of turn with the auger. Hard starting ingredients may need agitation.

Flexible Assembly System (FAS) Air Motors & Screw Feeders

For over 30 years manufacturers globally count on FAS to supply expertly engineered assembly automation and controls solving factory needs. Our customers lead innovations advancing electronics, pharmaceuticals, packaging, fabrication, aerospace, and processing equipment sectors.

The FAS air motor product line spans fractional horsepower up to 2HP outputs tailored for light, medium, or heavy duty cycles. Rotor vane, turbine, and gerotor technologies convert clean dry shop air into smooth torque. Each mounts universally via single shaft or dual shaft arrangements.

Pressure ranges meet requirements from low force automation rotary actuators up to driving high inertia loads. Kinetic energy captures quickly cycle indexing tables, opening small valves, or running short belt conveyors without needing involved setup.

Where precision ingredients metering enters critical, FAS screw feeders meter volumes from single gram increments up to 50 cubic feet per hour. This industry leading 5000:1 turndown range suits feeding microelectronics adhesives or pharmaceutical granules with equal precision.

Fully programmable servo screw drives offer inline weighing capability and responsive process control. Flexible hopper interfacing adapts to upstream equipment vagaries keeping material flowing smoothly. Intuitive touchscreen programming and access simplifies changeovers between product batches.

All FAS air motors and screw feeders utilize precision manufactured components for lasting performance across one, two or three shift manufacturing environments. Their quality improves mean time between failures while keeping spare parts inventories low.

Experience the Difference Yourself

Don’t settle when only the right factory automation hits quality, yield, and productivity metrics. Challenge our experienced application engineers to recommend optimum air motor or screw feeder solutions matching your specific material handling needs.

Flexible Assembly System custom tailors every component using decades of expertise gained serving complex requirements for industry leaders. Discover what elevating your automation capabilities feels like by contacting us today. The results speak volumes.