In many industrial processes, ferrous materials can arrive with the raw material or become detached during the production stages. Screws, steel fragments, filings, metallic particles and other contaminants can accompany the product without being noticed until they reach a critical stage of the process.

It is at this moment that an important question arises:

At what point in the operation do these materials need to be removed?

The answer depends on the process.

An industry that transports raw materials by belts may need to remove contaminants before they reach a crusher, mill or shredder. A recycling plant may need to separate ferrous materials during waste processing. A food industry can use magnetic separation to control the presence of metallic particles in its raw material or product.

In other operations, the most suitable point may be in a silo, a chute, a duct, a hopper or in a specific stage of the production line.

The magnetic separator should not be chosen solely for the equipment. It must be thought of from the process.

The problem begins when the ferrous material accompanies the process

Ferrous material does not always reach industry as part of the raw material.

It can also appear during the operation itself.

The wear of machines, tools, structures and metal components can generate small fragments that end up incorporated into the material flow.

In crushing, grinding, recycling, grain processing or bulk materials movement processes, these contaminants can travel through the line along with the product.

If they are not removed, they can reach later stages and cause different problems, such as product contamination, wear or damage to equipment and maintenance interruptions.

Therefore, magnetic separation can be part of different moments of the same operation.

On a conveyor belt, where should the ferrous material be removed?

Conveyor belts are used in numerous processes to move raw materials and products between different stages of production.

When there is a risk of the presence of ferrous materials, one of the most common needs is to carry out separation during transportation itself.

In this scenario, the equipment can be installed at a strategic point on the belt to remove the ferrous material before it advances to the next stage.

This need is especially relevant when the belt feeds equipment that can be damaged by the presence of metallic objects.

Imagine, for example, a line where the transported material will go to a crusher.

If a piece of steel follows this flow, it can reach the next piece of equipment and turn a seemingly small contamination into a production stoppage.

In this case, magnetic separation is no longer just a quality control step.

It becomes part of the process protection.

In recycling plants, the need is different

In a recycling plant, large volumes of different materials go through transport, crushing, classification and separation stages.

In this environment, ferrous materials may be mixed with the waste that will be processed.

The need, therefore, may be related to both the protection of equipment and the recovery of ferrous material present in the flow.

The separation can be inserted at different points in the plant, depending on where the material is in the best condition to be removed.

In a recycling line, for example, it may be necessary to separate ferrous metals before a crushing step or after a certain processing step.

The sweet spot is not defined simply by the type of separator.

It is defined by the dynamics of that line.

What about when the material is stored in silos?

Not every industrial process uses a belt as the main means of transport.

In operations that work with products stored or moved by gravity, the material can pass through silos, ducts, chutes, chutes and feeding systems.

In these situations, the need for magnetic separation continues to exist, but the location of application changes.

The equipment needs to be inserted at a point where the material flow passes through the magnetic area and allows contaminants to be trapped before they progress to the next step.

This can be important in processes that work with:

• grains;
• cereals;
• agricultural products;
• powdered raw materials;
• granulated materials;
• dry products;
• other materials transported in flow.

Here, the question is no longer “which separator should I buy?” and becomes:

“At what point in my process do I need to control the presence of ferrous metals?”

In the food industry, separation can be linked to product control

In food industrialization processes, the presence of metallic materials can pose a risk to the quality and safety of the product.

The raw material can go through different stages of transportation, processing and storage before reaching the final product.

Therefore, magnetic separation can be used at strategic points along the line to reduce the possibility of ferrous particles traveling along with the material.

The need may be related to the raw material received, internal transport or a specific processing step.

In this case, the objective is not simply to “separate metals”.

It means inserting a control barrier into the process.

Agriculture and processing of agricultural products

Agricultural and agro-industrial operations also move large volumes of materials.

Grains, seeds and other agricultural products can go through transport, storage, classification and processing systems.

During this journey, there is the possibility of ferrous materials following the flow.

Depending on the operation, magnetic separation can be applied before a critical step, at feeding points or during product transport.

The definition of the location must consider how the material arrives, how it is moved and which stage needs to be protected.

In the sugarcane industry, the separation point also depends on the process

Processes linked to sugar cane involve large volumes of material and different transport and processing steps.

In this environment, the presence of metallic fragments can represent a risk for equipment that continuously receives the material.

Magnetic separation can be inserted at strategic points in the operation precisely to prevent ferrous materials from advancing to subsequent stages.

Again, there is no single position that fits all plants.

The best point is the one where the contaminant can be removed before it poses a major problem to the process.

The same reasoning applies to other industrial processes

The need for magnetic separation appears in different sectors because the problem is not limited to a certain type of industry.

It can be part of operations of:

• mining;
• crushing;
• steel industry;
• metallurgy;
• foundry;
• recycling;
• food processing;
• agriculture and agroindustry;
• plastics manufacturing;
• ceramics;
• production of bulk materials;
• cement;
• wood;
• among other industrial applications.

In each of these operations, however, the need may be different.

In some cases, the main objective will be to protect equipment.

In others, avoid product contamination.

There may also be a need to recover ferrous materials or control the quality of a raw material before it progresses to the next stage.

So when does your operation need a magnetic separator?

The need usually appears when there is a combination of three factors:

There is ferrous material in the process.

It may be present in the raw material or appear during the operation itself.

This material can cause some impact.

It can pose a risk to equipment, compromise product quality, generate contamination or reduce operation efficiency.

There is a point at which this material can be removed.

This point may be on a conveyor belt, a feed, a transfer, a silo, a chute, a duct, or another process step.

It is from these three questions that the definition of the solution begins.

The equipment comes after the need

After identifying where the problem lies, it is possible to assess which magnetic separation technology makes sense for that application.

The configuration will depend on the characteristics of the material, flow, amount of contaminants, particle size, transport speed and installation conditions.

Therefore, two industries can work with similar materials and still need different magnetic solutions.

The equipment must accompany the process — not the other way around.

Magnetic separation starts with a question

Before looking for a magnetic separator, it is worth understanding:

Where are ferrous materials entering or being generated in my process?

After:

What happens if they keep moving down the line?

And finally:

At what point can I remove them before they cause a problem?

These answers help to define the application point and, consequently, the most appropriate technology to carry out the separation.

ITAL develops magnetic and electromagnetic solutions for different industrial processes, evaluating the characteristics of the operation to define the most suitable application.

Need to understand where magnetic separation can be applied in your process? Speak to the ITAL technical team.