Five Magnetic Separator Myths, Part Five: Is It Possible to Guarantee 100% Metal Separation?

 If we were functioning within a perfect world, our magnetic separators would enable 100% metal separation while maintaining 0% product loss. However, we do not live in a perfect world. You may be asking—is 100% metal separation even remotely possible?

When a magnetic separator supplier receives a project specification, there is commonly a question included inquiring about the level and percentage of metal separation that will be achievable. Some customers even state in advance their expected metal separation target. However, numbers cannot simply be pulled out of a hat—there must be qualification and data present to back it up. So, how should this question be answered?

To answer this question honestly, Bunting must first ask several questions of the customer:

1) What is the metal separation objective? Is the customer working in a food, pharmaceutical, or plastics processing plant where the metal separation goal is to remove metal that can be damaging to processing equipment? Or, is the customer working in a recycling plant, where the goal is to recover as much metal from recycled material as possible for future use?

2) How much product or non-metallic material can be lost? As you can see from the above question, in some circumstances non-metallic material is of high value, such as plastics processing applications. In other applications, though, non-metallic material may be the waste material, and the metal may be what is in fact desirable and valuable to recover. Commonly, higher metal separation rates are accompanied by higher loss of non-metallic materials. Another factor to consider is cleaning. Cleaning can be done either by hand or using an assisted device, but while cleaning more frequently can result in more metal being pulled out, it can also slow production.

3) What is the desired purity of the end product? For example, in food and plastics applications, the end product must be as pure as possible to ensure the final product is of the highest quality. In recycling, where the goal is to achieve recovery of metal, at what point does the recovered metal’s quality become affected by excessive levels of contamination?

4) How is the stated metal separation figure, in terms of separation and/or purity, monitored once the equipment is installed? Not all material is the same, so some material properties (such as material that is dry and more free flowing) make it easier to generate a higher percentage of separation.

By asking these four questions, reputable magnetic separator suppliers such as Bunting will be able to carry out a good initial assessment of the application. After these questions have been answered, Bunting can make a well-informed recommendation of what the magnetic separator’s design should be, as well as the modes of installation and operation. Remember—when choosing magnetic separators, higher gauss values do not always mean a better magnet.

Bunting promises high metal separation targets, but we back our claims up with real results.

There are many variables that can affect how much metal separation can be achieved. Part of the reason that “100% metal free” is a difficult value to achieve is due to the size of contamination. For example, it is easier to remove metal the size of a quarter than it is to remove a metal piece the size of 20 mesh.

As a very important note, if the contract with a customer includes a magnetic separation target as a key element, companies must ensure that there is an agreed-upon process to verify the magnetic separator’s level of separation after it has been installed.

So, what to make of the statement, “100% Metal Separation Guaranteed?” In our opinion, it is a claim made by only the ill advised. Bunting can promise high metal separation targets—often as high as 97%–but we back our claims up with real results. By working closely with our customers to assess their needs, we design optimal magnetic separation solutions for their unique applications. Doing this allows us to maintain a high level of transparency as a part of our excellent customer service and commitment to dependable, high-performing, high-quality magnetic separation products.

To learn more about custom designed magnetic separators from Bunting, contact us today.