Removing very fine ferrous contaminants with a solenoidal high-gradient electromagnetic separator
Are very fine ferrous particles sabotaging your quality control efforts? Or have you discovered that your grate magnet isn't removing such particles from your dry bulk material? This article explains how the solenoidal high-gradient electromagnetic separator removes very fine ferrous particles from granular materials or fine powders. The first sections cover magnetic separation basics and grate magnet limitations for separating very fine contaminants. The final sections discuss the operation and performance of the solenoidal high-gradient electromagnetic separator and provide some selection guidelines.
Ferrous contaminants, including very fine iron and iron oxides, can have a disastrous effect on product quality. For instance, when not removed from ceramic raw materials, the particles can cause surface irregularities and spots in the final ceramic product. Such flaws not only can impair the product's appearance, as with a white porcelain plumbing fixture, but can weaken the product and reduce its resistance to attack by foreign substances. The contaminants can also cause malfunctions in electronic products, such as substrates for computer circuit boards.