Solving Knape & Vogt’s One-of-a-Kind Feed Progression Challenge with Custom COE Controls

Knape & Vogt operates a one-of-a-kind process for manufacturing drawer slides, with some parts requiring up to 12 different feed progressions in a single part. After experiencing issues with a competitive feeder, the customer returned to Visionary for help diagnosing the problem, understanding the application firsthand, and developing a better solution for their production needs.

Visionary worked closely with COE control engineers to develop a solution capable of handling the customer’s complex feed progression requirements while still leveraging standard COE controls. The team was able to bridge gaps involving multiple feed lengths and die-gagging requirements without moving to a fully custom control platform, which would have added significant cost. In addition to COE feeders, the customer also uses COE retrofits on mechanically sound feeders from other manufacturers, allowing them to gain COE control capability without replacing equipment that did not require a new feed.

The application required high-speed feeding, with production running in the range of approximately 200 to 300 feet per minute. The ability to adapt standard COE controls to support multiple feed progressions, multiple feed lengths, die-gagging needs, and the customer’s unique process became a major win for both Knape & Vogt and Visionary. Because VMS and COE could accomplish this without an entirely custom control package, the customer gained a highly capable solution while avoiding the cost and complexity of a fully custom system.

Josh has become a go-to resource for Knape & Vogt when new equipment or retrofit needs come up. When a competitive feeder is mechanically sound, Visionary can have a service technician evaluate it and determine whether COE controls can be added. This has allowed Josh to sell multiple retrofit solutions where the customer did not need to purchase an entirely new feeder, creating a practical, cost-conscious path to improved control performance.

This project reinforced the importance of spending time onsite, understanding the customer’s exact process, and building a solution around how the customer actually manufactures parts. The complexity of Knape & Vogt’s application helped demonstrate that custom programming, controls flexibility, and close collaboration with engineering can solve challenges that standard equipment alone may not address.