On May 8-10 of this year, companies from all over the world will converge on the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago for the International Powder and Bulk Solids expo. There companies will have the opportunity to apprise themselves of the latest in materials handling technologies, meet with other experts in their fields, get in touch with suppliers and generally share in one of the few moments where large groups of professionals get to talk about their trades with each other. The vibratory feeders industry is sure to be there – after all, vibratory feeding fills a large role in the materials handling world.

Vibratory feeding, and all materials handling technologies for that matter, are technologies that were born out of necessity. The story of the development of industry is the story of actions and reactions. When fertilizer was first developed on an industrial scale, agricultural professionals needed ways to move those products on industrial scales. So, materials handling equipment that could effectively move those products without becoming jammed or plugged needed to be developed. Industry responded. I don’t know if there was any one specific development that inspired the creation of the first vibratory feeder. More likely, the evolution was slow. But today, professionals sing the praises of these very useful tools, because they are capable of easily and cost-effectively moving large amounts of products in an easily-controllable fashion with minimal human oversight and low maintenance costs.

What’s next on the timeline of vibratory feeders’ development? Maybe the first light of the next era for that technology will catch some professional’s eye at the expo. Maybe not. Whether or not it happens doesn’t change that the expo will be a veritable who’s who on the materials handling scene, and vibratory feeders will be front and center.