OLI F · adjustable piston vibrators

Adjustable piston vibrators for chutes, feeders and hoppers

A floating piston with no metal-on-metal impact. Seven sizes from 0.1 to 16.5 kilos, 2 to 6 bar, and no more than 80 dB(A).

The material hangs up in the chute, in the throat of the hopper or on the vibrating feeder, and a blow would be too much: the plate is thin, the product is fragile, or somebody is standing next to it. The F is OLI's vibrator for exactly that situation. Compressed air at 2 to 6 bar drives a piston back and forth inside a bore without letting it reach the ends, and the vibration of the housing passes into whatever the housing is bolted to. The force is chosen in two ways: with the pressure, and with the masses that screw onto the shaft. No more than 80 dB(A) anywhere in the range, seven sizes from 0.1 to 16.5 kilos, and four different housings in cast iron, nylon and aluminium.

F2–6 bar80 dB(A)−20 to 200 °C0.1–16.5 kg

Tell us about your plant See the specifications

Download the datasheet Dimensions, specifications and all variants PDF · 4 pages · 108 kB

An adjustable piston vibrator of the round housing type, seen from the front at an angle: a black cylinder on a grey base, with a brass silencer and a steel air connection on the side, a short shaft on top and an arrow marked IN embossed in the housing.

The problem

Two things the material does, and two you need done

Bridging and rat-holing are familiar to anyone who has stood at a hopper. What sets the pneumatic piston vibrators apart from the rest of the range is the next two: loosening what has already set, and compacting powder where that is the point.

Bridge over the outlet

The material spans an arch across the opening and carries its own weight. The chute is full, the feeder works in empty space, and nothing moves on.

Rathole through the middle

A narrow shaft runs down through the centre while the rest stands still along the sides. It looks like it is running, but most of it stays put and gets older by the hour.

Detaching and compacting

The two jobs that belong to the pneumatic piston vibrators. A layer that has set on the steel has to be shaken free, and powder in a mould or on a table has to be compacted evenly without breaking the grains.

Walkthrough

Four steps through the product

Click through: from the chute the material will not leave, to the choice between the four versions.

01 The problem

Drag the line from side to side

Without vibrators the material carries its own weight: the bridge stands across the outlet, and a layer stays behind along the sides that never comes along. With vibrators the vibration travels through the steel and keeps the material moving all the way down. It is the same hopper on both sides of the line.

02 The technology

The compressed air comes in at the side and leaves through the silencer at the top. Between the two the piston runs back and forth in the bore without reaching the metal at either end. There is no impact, and that is why it stays below 80 dB(A). On top sits the shaft with the masses that change frequency and force.

03 The installation

This is where the F differs from the rest of the range. A filter, a flow control valve, a lubricator and a 3/2 way valve go into the supply, and the air has to be lubricated. The units sit on the outside of the hopper, and nothing passes through the wall.

The compressed air The F runs on compressed air at 2 to 6 bar in continuous duty. The pressure is one of the two ways to set the force.
The filter The air has to be clean, and the quality has to be class 5.4.4. The filter is the first of the four stages between the compressor and the vibrator.
The lubricator Class 5.4.4 means lubricated air, and that is what separates the F from every other family on this site. If lubrication is not possible where the unit has to sit, we need to find another solution together.
The 3/2 way valve The valve is normally closed and opens the air when the vibrator is to run. It is the last stage before the connection.
The units on the hopper Everything sits outside, and nothing passes through the wall. The vibration runs through the steel and on into the material, and the noise level is no more than 80 dB(A).

04 The choice

Which housingH · slimL · roundL1 · nylonM · square

All four are drawn to the same scale so they can be compared. If you are unsure what will fit where the unit has to sit, send us the dimensions and we will find the housing that suits.

Not which force, that is in the table above. The choice you actually face is which housing fits where it has to sit, and what it has to take. Click between the four: all are drawn to the same scale, so an F 8 at 100 grams and an F 85 at 16.5 kilos take up the room they really take.

The technology

A piston that never hits anything

Inside the housing there is a bore, and inside the bore lies a floating piston. Compressed air at 2 to 6 bar drives it back and forth, and air is left at both ends so it never reaches the metal. That is the whole difference between a vibrator and a hammer, and it is why the noise level is no more than 80 dB(A). A pneumatic hammer, by comparison, sits at 125 dB(A). The vibration does not travel through the air to the material; it travels through whatever the housing is bolted to: the chute, the hopper wall or the table.

The force is chosen in two places. Pressure is one: the same F 18 gives 71.8 newtons at 2 bar and 182.5 newtons at 6 bar, and the frequency follows from 2,070 to 3,300 vibrations per minute. The other is the shaft. It is threaded, and masses can be screwed onto it to change the frequency and the force developed. If you need to hit a particular frequency on a particular chute, tell us what it is and we will work it through.

The circuit is longer than on the rest of the range, and that is worth knowing before ordering. A filter, a flow control valve, a lubricator and a 3/2 way valve go in front, and the air has to be class 5.4.4, that is, lubricated. Where lubrication is not possible at the position, the K range comes in a lubrication free version, and that is the one to ask us about instead.

ATEX is not an option here. The F ships as standard in II2G Ex h IIB Tx Gb and II2D Ex h IIIC Tx Db, that is category 2 for zone 1 and zone 21. The letter Tx means the temperature class is not fixed in advance: it follows the installation and has to be agreed before equipment is ordered for a classified area.

Data

Technical specifications

Technology	Adjustable piston
Duty cycle	Continuous
Working pressure	2 to 6 bar
Force	9.1 to 3,936.3 N, depending on size and pressure
Frequency	1,380 to 3,600 vibrations per minute
Air consumption	7 to 580 l/min
Pneumatic circuit	Filter, flow control valve, lubricator and 3/2 way valve N.C.
Air supply quality	Class 5.4.4, lubricated
Working temperature	−20 to 200 °C. F15P: −20 to 100 °C
Noise level	No more than 80 dB(A)
ATEX	II2G Ex h IIB Tx Gb and II2D Ex h IIIC Tx Db
Material	Grey cast iron, powder painted. F15P: nylon with an aluminium cover. F18: aluminium, square housing
Weight	0.1 to 16.5 kg
Standards	UNI EN 13463-1, EN 13463-5, ISO 14121 and UNI EN 1127-1. Directives 2014/34/EU and 2006/42/EC

The dimensions

Seven sizes in four housings

The frequency is given as the span from 2 to 6 bar, because the pressure moves it. The force is given at both ends. A is the width or diameter of the housing, B its length, and the version refers to the four in step 04.

Frequency in vibrations per minute at 2 to 6 bar, force in newtons, air consumption in litres per minute, dimensions in millimetres
Model	Version	Frequency	Force 2 bar	Force 6 bar	Air 2 bar	Air 6 bar	A	B	Weight
F 8	H	2,020–3,600	9.1 N	28.8 N	7 l/min	28 l/min	20 mm	91 mm	0.1 kg
F 15	L	2,280–2,820	75.7 N	115.9 N	20 l/min	67 l/min	50 mm	115 mm	1.5 kg
F 15P	L1	1,920–2,340	54.5 N	81 N	20 l/min	80 l/min	50 mm	115 mm	0.5 kg
F 18	M	2,070–3,300	71.8 N	182.5 N	29 l/min	100 l/min	50 mm	89 mm	0.6 kg
F 25	L	1,860–2,220	108 N	179.8 N	32 l/min	105 l/min	60 mm	115 mm	2.3 kg
F 40	L	1,380–1,740	259.6 N	412.8 N	80 l/min	320 l/min	85 mm	140 mm	5.7 kg
F 85	L	1,680–2,280	2,137.2 N	3,936.3 N	240 l/min	580 l/min	160 mm	122 mm	16.5 kg

The number in the model name follows the size of the housing: the F 8 is the smallest and the F 85 the largest. The letter in the Version column is the shape of the housing, and the four stand side by side to the same scale in step 04. A is the width or diameter of the housing and B its length. The air connection is M5 on the F 8, 1/8″ BSPP on the F 15, F 15P and F 18, 1/4″ BSPP on the F 25 and F 40, and 3/8″ BSPP on the F 85. The outlet matches the inlet except on two: the F 40 has 3/8″ and the F 85 has two of 3/8″. The working moment is the same at all three pressures on any one model.

Components

Four housings, one way of working

It is the same mechanism in all seven: a floating piston in a bore. What changes is the housing. The shape decides where the unit can go, and the material decides what it can take.

An adjustable piston vibrator with a white nylon housing, seen from the front: a cylinder with a brass silencer and a steel air connection on the side, and on top a bright steel shaft with two masses screwed onto it.

The shaft and the masses Alle syv modeller

The shaft is what gives the range its name. It is threaded, and masses can be screwed onto it to change the frequency and the force developed. It is the second of the two ways to set an F; the first is the pressure.

Found on	All seven models
Changes	Frequency and force
Other adjustment	The working pressure, 2 to 6 bar

The masses screw onto the shaft at the mounting face.
We do not have the weight of the individual masses from OLI. If you need to hit a particular frequency, tell us which, and we will work it through with the supplier.

An adjustable piston vibrator with a white nylon housing on a grey base, seen from the front at an angle, with a brass silencer, a steel air connection and a short shaft on top.

The nylon housing L1

The lightest housing in the range, and the only one that is not metal. The body is nylon and the cover aluminium. It weighs a third of the equivalent cast iron housing, but it is also the only one with a temperature limit of its own.

Model	F 15P
Material	Nylon with an aluminium cover
Temperature	−20 to 100 °C
Weight	0.5 kg against 1.5 kg for the F 15

The same dimensions as the F 15: A 50 mm and B 115 mm.
At 6 bar it gives 81 N against the F 15's 115.9 N.

An adjustable piston vibrator with a square black aluminium housing, seen from the front: two long slots in the face, a brass silencer, a steel air connection and an arrow marked IN embossed in the housing.

The square aluminium housing M

The only housing in the range that is not round. The face sits against whatever it is bolted to, and the two long slots let the unit be moved along its own bracket instead of sitting in fixed holes.

Model	F 18
Material	Aluminium, square housing
A × B	50 × 89 mm
Weight	0.6 kg

The shortest housing in the range: B is 89 mm against 115 mm on the F 15.
At 6 bar it gives 182.5 N, more than the F 25's 179.8 N.

The smallest adjustable piston vibrator, seen from the front: a slim black cylinder with a hexagonal collar at the middle, a brass silencer above the collar and a steel air connection below it.

The slim housing H

The smallest in the range. The housing is 20 millimetres in diameter and weighs 100 grams, and the connection is M5 rather than BSPP. It belongs on small channels, micro screens and anywhere there is no room for more.

Model	F 8
Material	Grey cast iron, powder painted
A × B	20 × 91 mm
Weight	0.1 kg

The highest frequency in the range: 3,600 vibrations per minute at 6 bar.
The lowest air consumption: 7 litres per minute at 2 bar.

The fourth housing, L, is the round one in cast iron. It has no card of its own here, because it is the one at the top of the page, and it covers four of the seven models: F 15, F 25, F 40 and F 85. It is also the one that spans 50 to 160 millimetres in diameter.

Application

Where the F belongs

Plant	Hoppers, chutes, vibrating feeders, tables and channels
Material	Hygroscopic and dusty powders, and granules
Typical jobs	Big bag emptier, compacting table for powders, pipes and chutes, vibrating feeder and small channels
Sectors	Building and construction, food and feed, heavy industry, machinery and plant, plastics and chemicals, recycling and environmental technology, renewable energy
Not for	A classified area without an agreed temperature class, or an installation where the air must not be lubricated. Where material has to come out of a silo, the VBS, PG or PS are the ones to look at.

FlexCore

Getting the air to every unit

A piston vibrator is nothing without compressed air at the connection. The hoses come from our own range.

ARIAFORM/TPULight polyurethane hose for tools and reel systems. The softest of the three, where the hose has to follow the work.

ARIAFORM/15TPE air hose for industry and workshop. Handles water, air and oil-laden compressed air, which is exactly what an F needs.

Yellow EPDM compressed air hose, coiled.

ARIACORD/YELLOWRugged EPDM hose for compressed air and water, 25 bar. Weather and UV resistant, so it can live outdoors.

See the full hose range →

Further

Which size, and where is it going?

Tell us what the chute or hopper is made of, how thick the steel is, what you handle, and what the compressed air can deliver. We come back with a size, a version and a price, not with a catalogue.

Contact us Try the product selector