Tray agitator design

Rich Ullsmith · Jun 7, 2007

Anybody here have experience building a device for tray agitation? I need it to handle a 16X20 tray, with a heat pad incorporated. I'm about ready to go buy an erector set, one with a little motor, and see what I come up with.

The kicker is, I think I had one in a box of photo junk somebody once gave me, and I tossed it because I wasn't sure what it was. Little motor and a dual clamp.

Any ideas are greatly appreciated. Guarantee they won't be as wacky as mine.

naaldvoerder · Jun 7, 2007

The recent lith printing book of Tim Rudman features a design for a automatic tray agitator, i believe,

.Jaap Jan

Curt · Jun 7, 2007

A clock or stepper motor with tray in a stainless steel wire frame on a pivot, motor above tray and on a gfic. Or tray on a piece of plexiglas, center pivot, motor above liquid level for safety again. A teeter dotter with a motor.

payral · Jun 7, 2007

Here:
Dead Link Removed

Curt · Jun 7, 2007

http://www.meci.com/index.php/cPath/360_243

Check this site out for AC or DC with gears and different sizes and types. The prices are low too.

Rich Ullsmith · Jun 7, 2007

Yeah, now I'm thinking a little motor with an ellipse on the drive, just nudge the tray every rotation. The low rpm is the thing though. Maybe from one of those lamps you put in the kids room that spins slowly.

I'll have to go look at the lith book again, but I remember being discouraged because it looked pretty complicated. Thanks for that motor site Curt, I'll go back later when I got more time. They must have something low rpm.

rmolson · Jun 7, 2007

tray agitators

Tray agitator

Years ago there was a Graphic Arts tray agitator designed specifically for tray agitation in a water bath. It consisted of four moveable stainless steel lift plates attached to suction cup bases. These were powered by a separate small air pump with a sequential valve pumping air to the lifts under the trays. This came in handy as we needed both hands to agitate the four separation films in the developer We could accommodate trays up to 20x24.You might find something like that still kicking around in a graphic arts warehouse somewhere.

Jim Jones · Jun 7, 2007

The motors that turn barbeque spits are fairly low speed, and cheap at junk stores.

removed account4 · Jun 7, 2007

make sure you get some spare parts

i used a tray rocker that lasted for decades.
it groaned and groaned and groaned ---
eventually the corrosion from the chemistry killed it.
i left the studio before it was repaired .. and i am sure it was
a PITA because she had no spare parts

George Papantoniou · Jun 8, 2007

Jim Jones said:
The motors that turn barbeque spits are fairly low speed, and cheap at junk stores.

I was going to answer the same thing. Buy one, then attach a wheel that has a string hanging from a point at its perimeter then the spring will go up and down when the moter will turn (this is the design of the device sold by the company stated above).

Tray agitator design

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