Magnets have many uses in the lay person’s everyday life, from the basic refrigerator magnet that we use to keep pictures or bills in plain sight, to complicated magnetic devices used in automobiles, cell phones, and medical equipment. Did you know, however, that industrial magnets touch our lives every day as well? For those of us who are not acquainted with the many manufacturing processes of the goods we use on a daily basis, the use of industrial magnets may be a mystery.
Conveyor magnets are one of the most commonly used types of industrial magnets. During many manufacturing processes, products are moved from one location or process to the next via conveyor belt systems. Conveyor moved material often requires cleaning or sorting during transport. This is particularly true of plastic processing, wood processing, and food production.
In plastic recycling, for example, the plastic material is fed into a grinding machine. It is imperative that no metal objects be fed into the grinder. In this case, if the plastic material is moved into the grinder via conveyor belt, a conveyor magnet becomes a vital tool in the process, as it literally picks the metal debris up off the conveyor belt. The same is true of wood processing operations. If the wood is being fed into a grinding machine, as is often the case in the manufacturing of particleboard or wood and resin mixed products, then it is very important that metal objects aren’t introduced into the grinding heads of the machinery. Industrial grinding heads are very expensive, and if they become damaged, they are very costly to repair, not to mention lost revenues because of production delays during the period of time that the machinery is out of commission.
Personal safety is another important consideration. Most grinding machines operate at very high RPMs. If a metal object falls into such a grinding machine, it can be thrown great distances and can easily injure the machine operator. The cost of adding a conveyor magnet to such an operation is usually far less expensive than repairing broken equipment or dealing with a personal injury on the job.
Food production is another example of a manufacturing process that can benefit from the addition of a conveyor magnet. Foods for both human and livestock consumption are oftentimes transported on conveyor belt systems. In the case of agricultural livestock feeds, grain is often mixed with specific feed additives to produce high protein mixes for cattle, pets, and other animals. Human foods are processed in a similar manner; various types of grains are processed, mixed, and then extruded into cereals and other mixes for specific recipes and cooking purposes. In these situations, obviously it’s important to keep metal debris out of the food because it is unfit for consumption.
In the past, many manufacturing facilities would assign an individual to the job of quality control. This person would be responsible for sitting next to a conveyor all day long, and manually sorting through the materials and removing metal debris. The problem in this case is always operator fatigue and the element of human error. The creation and addition of conveyor magnets in recent decades has greatly improved these processes and the quality of the materials being produced. With the addition of a conveyor magnet, the only operator requirement is to periodically clean off the metal debris from the magnet and restart the conveyor process.
Magnets have many uses that affect all our daily lives. Some of us have been directly impacted by the industrial use of magnets, for example those persons working in commercial settings where a magnet is utilized. Others of us are indirectly affected; perhaps we consume some of the goods that pass through such facilities. Either way, the use of industrial magnets has been greatly beneficial to the manufacturing world, and their impact continues to improve our lives every day.
