Exciter with separate housing and mounting plate

A vibration exciter apparatus being mountable to vibration processing or handling equipment to impose, in use, a desired vibration regime to said vibration processing or handling equipment, said vibration exciter apparatus comprising an exciter housing having an upper wall portion, an opposed lower wall portion spaced from said upper wall portion, said lower wall portion and said upper wall portion being connected by two opposed mutually spaced end wall portions, said exciter housing having two spaced and opposed side faces, said exciter housing further having a plurality of spaced fastener positioning locations, each said fastener positioning location having at least a first portion positioned at or adjacent an upper face of the upper wall portion of the exciter housing and a second portion aligned with said first portion located at or adjacent a lower face of the lower wall portion of the exciter housing, and a plurality of elongated fastener elements each having a length to pass through said aligned first and second portions of a said fastener positioning location and being cooperable with at least some of said fastener positioning locations to, in use, mount said vibration exciter apparatus to said vibration processing or handling equipment with selectably either said upper wall portion or said lower wall portion of said exciter housing being relatively closer to or spaced from said vibration processing or handling equipment.

A vibration exciter apparatus being mountable to vibration processing or handling equipment to impose, in use a vibration regime to processing or handling equipment, said exciter apparatus comprising an exciter housing with an upper wall, a lower wall, opposed end walls, and opposed side faces defining an internal zone operationally supporting spaced bearing means, said exciter apparatus further having spaced first and second driven shafts each being supported by a respective said bearing means whereby an end portion of each of said first driven shaft and said second driven shaft extends beyond a side face of said exciter housing and carries eccentric mass means, said exciter apparatus still further including a mounting plate structure separate to said exciter housing and securable, in use, to said vibration processing or handling equipment, said exciter housing having multiple spaced fastener receiving bore means extending through said exciter housing from a first end zone at or adjacent said upper wall of said exciter housing part to a second end zone at or adjacent said lower wall of said exciter housing, said mounting plate structure including multiple spaced fastener receiving fitting means positioned whereby a said first end zone, or a said second end zone of respective said fastener receiving bore means are alignable with a said fastener receiving fitting means in said mounting plate structure.

A method of replacing a first vibration exciter apparatus secured by a plurality of removable first fastener elements to a first installation position on processing or handling equipment whereby, in use, said first vibration exciter apparatus imposes a vibration regime to said processing or handling equipment, said first fastener elements being engaged with first fastener receiving zones disposed in a first array in said first installation position, said method comprising the steps of:

• removing said first vibration exciter apparatus from said first installation position;
• installing an adapter plate member to said first installation position, said adapter plate member having a plurality of second fastener receiving zones in a second array being alignable with second fastener receiving zones on a second vibration exciter apparatus;
• and
• installing a said second vibration exciter apparatus on said processing or handling equipment by utilising second fastener elements engageable with said second vibration exciter apparatus and into a said second fastener receiving zone in said adapter plate member.

A vibration exciter apparatus being mountable to vibration processing or handling equipment to impose in use a vibration regime to said vibration processing or handling equipment, said vibration exciter apparatus comprising an exciter housing with a base wall portion, a first end wall portion and a second end wall portion respectively extending upwardly from opposed end zones of said base wall portion, said base wall portion and said first and said second end wall portions defining an internal zone of the exciter housing having an upper face and two opposed side faces, said exciter housing further having a plurality of spaced first fastener positioning locations configured in a first array, said first fastener positioning locations permitting fastener elements to pass there through to engage with fastener engagement locations in an engagement zone of said vibration processing or handling element, said fastener engagement locations being arranged in a second array, said second array having a first end zone and a second opposed end zone, whereby when mounting said vibration exciter apparatus to said vibration processing or handling equipment, said vibration exciter apparatus is selectably rotatable about an intermediate vertical axis to position either a first end zone of said first array of fastener positioning locations or a second end zone of said first array of fastener positioning locations with a said first end zone of said second array of said fastener engagement locations whereby said fastener elements enable mounting of said vibration exciter apparatus to said vibration handling or processing equipment.

A vibration exciter apparatus being mountable to vibration processing or handling equipment to impose in use a vibration regime to said vibration processing or handling equipment, said vibration exciter apparatus comprising an exciter housing with a base wall portion, a first end wall portion and a second end wall portion respectively extending upwardly from opposed end zones of said base wall portion, said base wall portion and said first and said second end wall portions defining an internal zone of the exciter housing having an upper face and two opposed side faces, said exciter housing further having a plurality of spaced first fastener positioning locations configured in a first array, said first fastener positioning locations permitting fastener elements to pass there through to engage with fastener locations when said vibration exciter apparatus is installed on said vibration processing or handling equipment, and a plurality of elongated fastener elements located in at least some of said first fastener positioning locations, each said fastener element having a head portion at one end and engagement formations at an opposed end engageable with a respective one of said fastener engagement locations in an installed position, wherein in said installed position, each said head portion is positioned at or adjacent either a lower face of said base wall portion or said upper face.