Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1325722
January 2021 / 51 and flat, and can be custom built to fit into existing processes, as shown in Figure 3. Magnetic separators and metal detectors are often paired together in an attempt to achieve the cleanest end product possible. Neither a magnetic separator nor a metal detector is going to catch every ferrous piece in the process stream, and the more separators and detec- tors that you can afford and have the space for in your process, the better off you'll be. Also, since the metal detector tosses out valuable material — albeit a small amount — when the reject mechanism detects a piece of metal, running your material through a magnetic separator before the detector will help you save mate- rial and avoid costly and time-consuming equipment damage down the process line. Regardless of the separator and detector types, magnetic separators are most effective in applica- tions where the goal is to extract ferrous and certain stainless steel pieces before the end product is passed through metal detectors. A wide range of dry bulk solids manufacturers use magnetic separators, an example of which is shown in Figure 4, and the mag- netic separation industry is constantly evolving to meet customer demands. Magnetic separator manufacturers work to improve their equipment by applying material sciences, engineering developments, and manufactur- ing processes. Advancements in magnetic separators are made on a regular basis. For example, a research team from Penn State Beh- rend, part of Pennsylvania State University, recently proved that new rare earth magnets are able to remove metal contamination with a pull- test strength that's 13 to 40 percent stronger than other commercially available models. In fact, Penn State Behrend deter- mined which commercial tube magnet most effectively removed dangerous ferrous metal and magnetically FIGURE 2 A metal detector often incorporates a conveyor system into the process. FIGURE 3 A tunnel metal detector can be custom manufactured to suit any inline processing application where space is limited. FIGURE 4 A plate magnet is often used to improve product purity in food processing applications.