Customised Magnetic Separator, a Fully-Automatic Solution for the Food Industry

S+S (Germany) has supplied an in-line magnet system, specifically matched to meet demanding customer requirements, to a large German sugar-processing company. The combination of very high throughput rates and the removal of slightly magnetised stainless steel particles demands extremely high magnetic strength.

The S+S Magbox Autoclean has magnet rods arranged in staggered vertical layers. Each rod has an effective power of 12,000 Gauss. As Stephan Treml, the S+S Product Manager for Magnetic systems explains "In contrast to competitors’ systems, where field strength is defined at the inner core, the 12,000 Gauss of the Magbox Autoclean is measured at the surface of the stainless steel casings, where bulk material is in contact with the magnet. This results in significant performance advantages as In addition to the removal of typical ferrous contamination the extremely high magnetic power ensures the separation of slightly magnetised stainless steel particles from the product flow. With throughput rates of up to 200 tons of sugar per hour Magbox Autoclean achieves excellent separation results. Even under high material pressure and at significant flow velocities contaminants are reliably held by the magnet rods. The unit complies with HACCP requirements and is certified according to ATEX zone 22 directives.

Primarily intended for use in the food industry the Magbox Autoclean inline magnet system also finds application in pharmaceuticals and similar sensitive fields. The strong, wear-resistant housings are made of rustproof stainless steel.

Magbox Autoclean systems feature a pre-programmed PLC controller with optional user interface, allowing the user to continuously monitor system operation. Via the PLC controller cleaning intervals can be defined to match the level of contamination. Cleaning is performed automatically by applying compressed-air to the magnet cores, which then still in their stainless steel casings are transported to the cleaning area. Some of the magnet rods always remain at their operating position also during the cleaning cycle, guaranteeing separation of magnetic contaminants in continuous production processes.