2018 Review

A Look Back at our News & Blogs in 2018

2018 proved to be another exciting year.  Despite the spectre of BREXIT, business overseas continued to flourish and grow.  We attended a number of international exhibitions, securing orders on the stand.  There have also been concerns on the UK mainland about waste management and especially plastic waste.  New plans have been proposed and initiatives implemented.  It is too soon to tell if they will have any long-term effect.

In this blog, we look back at the ever-changing 2018.

March

We announced our attendance at Ceramitec.  The international ceramics and raw materials exhibition is held in Munich, Germany every three years.  Master Magnets returned to exhibit after several years absence and proved to be the only supplier of high intensity magnetic separators at the show.

April

Ceramitec proved to be a resounding success.  The wet and dry high intensity magnetic separators on the stand drew visitors.   Ceramic manufacturing companies wanted to find out the best methods of removing fine iron from ceramic body and glaze.  Non-metallic mineral producers of feldspar, silica sand and ball clay were seeking to enhance the purity of their raw materials and mine more difficult deposits.  Day 3 of the show was particularly special.  A Turkish ceramics producer placed an order for two auto-cleaning Electromagnetic Filters.

At the end of April, there was a focus on recycling.  Large UK waste management company Recycling Lives had installed three Metal Separation Systems to recover ferrous and non-ferrous metals.  Each Metal Separation System comprised of a Vibratory Feeder, high intensity Drum Magnet and Eddy Current Separator.  We reviewed the installation, looking at home the material had been screened and prepared prior to metal recovery.

May

At the beginning of May, the Master Magnets team started preparing for exhibiting at IFAT, one of the largest waste and recycling exhibitions in the world.  IFAT is held in Germany every two years.  The Master Magnets stand would be very interactive with metal separation demonstrations on the newly built SSSC Stainless Steel Magnetic Separator and Eddy Current Separator.

The exhibition, held between 14th and 18th May, was a great success.  Representatives from companies across Europe visited the stand.

At the end of May, we focused on the installation of large Electro Overband Magnets at West Burton Power Station in the UK.  The two 6-tonne Electro Overband Magnets remove tramp ferrous metal from conveyed coal prior to the furnace.

June

Master Magnets announced their exhibition plans for Magnetic Separators and Metal Detectors at the Hillhead show.  Hillhead is the UK’s leading show for the aggregate and quarry industry.  There is also a recycling focus at the event.  The weather was kind, drawing record crowds, and the Master Magnets stand was busy for the whole 3-days.

In the week leading up to the Hillhead exhibition, we reviewed the differences between a Rare Earth and Ferrite Overband Magnet.  Feedback from customers had highlighted confusion about the two different designs.  Rare Earth Magnets produce the highest permanent magnetic field.  However, in the article we assess the technical details and conclude which design of Overband Magnet is best for specific applications.

In an exceptionally busy exhibition period, Master Magnets followed Hillhead by exhibiting at the WASTE’18 recycling and waste expo.  Along with Bunting Magnetics, Master Magnets was the headline sponsor of the exhibition.  At the show, the Master Magnets team offered visitors a free, no obligation, Metal Separation MOT.

The exhibition season remained in full flight and stainless steel separation was the headline for the CARS 2018 show (Stoneleigh, UK).  The Complete Auto Recycling exhibition focuses on vehicle recycling solutions.

July

After 3 exhibitions in 3 weeks, we reviewed each show and questioned whether there needs to be improved planning of exhibitions.  Better coordinated planning would help exhibitors and visitors.

In a recycling focused blog, we asked whether aluminium can recycling could hit 85% by the year 2020.  The question was raised following the published of an Alupro report.  With the aluminium can recycling rate in 2017 at 72%, it appeared unlikely that a gain of 13% could be achieved in 3-years.

August

A month prior to RWM18 (12-13 September 18), the UK’s leading waste and recycling show, Master Magnets announced that their stand would be converted into a Metal Separation Test Centre.  The aim was for customers to not only witness separation demonstrations, but also to bring samples for testing.

Despite the ongoing media fixation on BREXIT, business overseas continued to flourish.  A third Electro Overband Magnet was despatched to a copper ore mine in Bulgaria.  The large Electro Overband Magnets remove tramp ferrous metal from the conveyed ore prior to secondary and tertiary crushing and screening.

September

After the exceptionally warm British summer, the exhibition season was set to return.  In the lead up to the RWM18 show, we reviewed 3 UK waste recycling facts.  We assessed the latest UK data with regards to the amount of waste produced, recycling rates and packaging recycling rates.

The RWM18 exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham, UK was a great success.  After several years of decline, the new organisers had revamped the event.  Master Magnets had working metal separation equipment on their stand directly opposite the entrance.  As visitors entered they could see and hear the sound of metal being recovered on the Stainless Steel Magnetic Separator and Eddy Current Separator.  At the event, we spoke with companies from across the UK.  Indeed, we are still conducting tests on specific materials in our technical laboratory.

Also, on the final day of the exhibition one customer purchased the Eddy Current Separator displayed on the stand.

The focus was very much recycling in September 2018.  To celebrate Recycle Week (24-30 September), we reviewed four very successful recycling operations.  Each project is successfully recovering metals using Magnetic Separators and Eddy Current Separators.

October

In October 2018, the Master Magnets brand celebrated 40 years.  We looked back over 40 years of history to see how Master Magnets become one of the world’s leading suppliers of Magnetic Separation and Metal Detection equipment.

We the assistance of internationally-recognised mineral processing engineer Dr Neil Rowson, we published the first of our Technical Video Explanations.  The first assessed the Induced Magnetic Roll Separator.

In October, we welcomed a visit from David Roberts of HUB-4.  When we talked to David at Hillhead and RWM18, he expressed an interest in visiting our facility.  Whilst at the plant, David was able to witness tests on the Stainless Steel Magnetic Separator.

A complete and detailed review of how magnetic separators are used in the mineral processing industry was published at the end of October.  The technical report assesses three designs of high intensity magnetic separator used in the processing of dry minerals.

Magnetic Separation is one of the most common and important physical separation techniques.  The basic concept of a Magnetic Separator is that magnetically susceptible particles or bodies are separated from non-magnetic particles.  However, the simplicity stops there.  We assessed the meaning of Magnetic Separation and how it has become fundamental when processing or recycling most materials.

November

We released Dr Neil Rowson’s second Technical Video Explanation, this time focusing on the Magnetic Disc Separator (MDS).  The Magnetic Disc Separator is used in a wide range of mineral processing applications including beach sands and the concentration of Tantalite and Columbite.  Later in the month, we published a technical article on the installation of a Magnetic Disc Separator at a Coltan processing facility in Nigeria.

The 1st of 5 technical articles reviewing the performance of the Eddy Current Separator focused on the effect of Rotor Speed.  There are many claims made about the design criteria of Eddy Current Separators and these reviews look at the facts.

The range of Master Magnets’ Electro Overband Magnets is extensive.  Selecting the optimum design of Electro Overband Magnet to perform a specific separation task is critical.  To aid the correct selection, Master Magnets applications engineers have developed a bespoke ‘Electro Overband Magnet Selection Programme’.

December

The Number of Magnetic Poles was the focus of the 2nd of the 5 technical articles on Eddy Current Separator designs.  We assessed whether a 42 pole magnetic rotor would be better than one with 22 poles.

Our final blog of 2018 was first published as a headline article in Skip Hire Magazine (Dec 18).  The UK waste and recycling industry has never had a higher profile.  Sadly, a great deal of the media coverage has been negative, especially regarding plastic waste.  However, despite all the rhetoric, there is still a lack of a cohesive recycling strategy.

We hope you enjoyed reading our news, technical articles and blogs in 2018.  For further information on any of the blogs please do not hesitate to contact us.

Email: sales.redditch@buntingmagnetics.com

Via the website

Telephone:  +44 (0) 1527 65858