Bunting-Redditch Sells 2 SSSC Magnetic Separators to UK Recycling Company

Recently, a United Kingdom recycling company ordered two Stainless Steel Separation Conveyors from Bunting-Redditch to facilitate recovery of fragmented stainless steel. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, initial testing was undertaken on site with rare earth drum magnetic separators. Once restrictions eased, the client visited Bunting’s Recycling Test Facility to participate in more detailed test work that was carried out on the SSSC Magnetic Separator. There, the tests were able to successfully demonstrate the SSSC’s capabilities for separation and recovery of fragmented stainless steel from different size fractions.

After these positive test results, Bunting agreed to loan the client a 900mm wide SSSC magnetic separator that would allow the company to carry out more onsite testing at their facility. After a period of extensive testing, the metal recycling company was able to determine their optimum separation and performance criteria. This criteria included the ideal particle size range as well as the matching capacity per meter width.

Once the company determined these criteria, they placed an order for two SSSC Magnetic Separators with feed widths of 900mm (approximately 35 inches) and 1800mm (approximately 70 inches). These units are both supplied with vibratory feeders that control and regulate the flow of material. The 900mm wide unit will be used to process -50mm fraction, and the 1800mm wide unit will be used for larger sized fraction ranging from +50mm to 200mm in size.

The SSSC (Stainless Steel Separation Conveyor)

Bunting’s Stainless Steel Separation Conveyor, or SSSC Magnetic Separator, is a highly unique piece of equipment. During the initial design process, Bunting engineers designed a patented neodymium rare earth magnetic head pulley that produces an ultra-strong magnetic force, making it capable of attracting even the weakest magnetic materials. The strength of this magnetic field is much greater than standard magnetic separators, which means its separation capabilities are expanded in turn. Rather than just being able to remove ferrous and strongly magnetic materials, the SSSC is also able to remove materials with a very low magnetic susceptibility.

The SSSC Magnetic Separator has a dual-pulley conveyor design, featuring a high-strength patented neodymium head pulley. In operation, material is first fed onto the conveyor, then transferred into a strong magnetic field. When material passes through this field, weakly magnetic materials, such as fragmented stainless steel, will be attracted and separated from non-magnetic materials, which remain unaffected. This powerful magnetic field allows for powerful, efficient removal of magnetic and weakly magnetic material that does not interrupt normal process flow.

Enhancing Metal Recovery

By installing the SSSC Magnetic Separators, the metal recycling company was able to maximize their recovery capability and reduce their overall waste product, resulting in greatly improved productivity and cost-effectiveness within their facility.

“From the start, we worked very closely with the client,” explained Tom Higginbottom, Bunting’s External Sales Engineer for the North of the UK. “We know the strength of our SSSC magnetic rotor and the potential metal recovery. However, the metal recycling company knew their material and selected the best mix of frag, with the optimum particle size, for processing on the SSSC. By working together, we identified the metal separation capabilities and this resulted in the order of two units.”

The onsite tests carried out on the 900mm wide SSSC Magnetic Separator led to the purchase of the production-size test unit. Currently, the second 1800mm wide SSSC Magnetic Separator is being manufactured at Bunting’s Redditch plant.

The SSSC Magnetic Separator is one piece of equipment available as part of the extensive range of ferrous and non-ferrous metal separation systems that Bunting designs and manufactures in the United States as well as the United Kingdom. Often, the SSSC Magnetic Separator is installed as part of a three stage comprehensive metal separation system:

Stage One: Strongly magnetic metals are removed using equipment such as a crossbelt magnetic separator or drum magnet.

Stage Two: Non-ferrous metal is recovered using an Eddy Current Separator.

Stage Three: Fragmented stainless steel recovery is carried out.

If you are interested in receiving more information about the SSSC Magnetic Separator for stainless steel separation, or any of Bunting’s other metal separation equipment (including our Eddy Current Separators and Crossbelt Magnets), please contact us today:

Email: sales.newton@buntingmagnetics.com

(800) 835-2526
(316) 284-2020
Fax: (316) 283-4975

Bunting—Newton
500 South Spencer Road
Newton, KS 67114