Mechani Mags Spotlights Ferrochrome Separation Magnets
Few suppliers in Boksburg carry the depth of magnetic equipment that Mechani Mags has built up, and while the company's African Magnets range is most closely associated with the suspended belt magnets that strip tramp metal from conveyors in mines and processing plants, there is far more to the catalogue. Through October the manufacturer is putting the spotlight on the rest of what it makes: the rare earth Ferrochrome Magnet that separates ferrochrome from slag, heavy duty lifting magnets for scrap and furnace work, and a line that runs from drum magnets to demagnetising coils and permanent magnet designs. Because so many South African operations line up their maintenance and upgrade work around the year end shutdown, now is a sensible moment for plant engineers to look again at where magnetic equipment can do more than simply guard a conveyor.
Separating ferrochrome from slag
What Mechani Mags calls its Ferrochrome Magnet carries the full title In-Line Style Rare-Earth Permanent Magnetic Agitating Field Separator, shortened to the MAFS machine. Its design targets materials that hold only small concentrations of ferromagnetic particles, ferrochrome, banded ironstone and shales among them.
At the core of the machine sit the strongest available neodymium rare earth magnet elements. A section that agitates the magnetic field keeps the magnetic material moving, which frees any non-magnetic material caught up among the ferromagnetic particles and lifts the quality of the separation. Nearer the discharge end, weaker magnetic elements loosen the grip on the magnetics so they release cleanly. Each unit carries Mechani Mags' own wear plate design, and the entire separator can be raised or lowered so its height suits whatever material is running through it.
Where does it earn its keep? In ferrochrome processing, recovering ferrochrome particles out of slag lifts the quality of the output. In mining and mineral processing, it can sharpen the purity of banded ironstone or shales. In recycling, it pulls ferromagnetic contaminants out of material that is meant to be recycled.
Lifting magnets for scrap, ball loading and furnace work
On the material handling side, Mechani Mags produces circular heavy duty lifting electromagnets made for on-off duty. Energise the magnet and it lifts and moves steel; de-energise it and the load drops so the unit can return to the loading position. Its field reaches only a shallow depth but stays highly concentrated, which pushes the holding force on the lifted steel to a maximum. Scrap handling, mill ball loading and furnace loading are the usual jobs. They are not meant to hang over conveyor belts.
Diameters run from 300 mm up to 3,000 mm, and rectangular or oval shapes can be supplied where an application calls for them. Every unit is oil free and sealed to IP66, so dust and water do not bother it and it can even work submerged. The casing is reinforced to survive knocks and drops, the coils use high temperature resin impregnation and Class H insulation, and a heavy duty wear plate shields the base. Customers can add a warning light or siren to signal when the magnet is live, and a heat shield plate is offered as an option for high heat work. The magnets are rated for high duty cycles and accept a broad range of DC supply voltages.
Backing them up are power supply units, control panels, remote control pendants and DC cable reeling drums.
More than one way to remove tramp metal
Magnetic separators take several different forms, and the right choice turns on where in the plant the steel has to come out and how the equipment is arranged. Besides its suspended overband magnets, Mechani Mags offers drum magnets, sometimes called magnetic pulleys, which pull material apart as it tips over the head end of a conveyor belt. Its demagnetising coils strip the magnetism from material that passes through the centre of the coil. And its permanent magnet custom designs can be engineered to a specific brief and reshaped to squeeze into tight spaces.
Plenty of plants rely on a Conveyor metal detector to halt a belt the moment metal appears, which spares crushers and other downstream kit but still leaves a person to track down and lift out the steel. A suspended belt magnet works the opposite way, continuously raising ferrous tramp metal clear of the moving material. The company's own suspended magnet range runs to fan cooled and oil cooled electromagnets in both self-cleaning and manual-clean versions, plus its newer dry-type design.
That Dry magnetic separator is the most up to date suspended overband unit Mechani Mags builds. It needs neither oil nor fans, carries an energy efficiency rating on par with IE4 and, the company says, puts out the same magnetic power while drawing 50% less electrical input than standard models. It cleans itself, comes with belt slip and tear detection and a PT100 temperature probe for monitoring, and is offered in a low headroom model for plants short on vertical clearance. It will run underground and can be Ex certified for hazardous settings.
Auxiliaries and spares under one roof
Magnetic equipment is only as dependable as the power, suspension and belting behind it, and Mechani Mags carries those lines too. Its auxiliary range takes in power supply units for mains voltages up to 1000 VAC at 50 or 60 Hz, control panels that suit almost any electromagnet system, three phase heavy duty solid state bridge rectifiers, DC cabling, adjustable suspension chain slings complete with rating tags and a certificate of compliance, beam crawlers and trolleys, cable reeling drums and festoon systems.
Spares are held as well, from replacement belts, pulleys, gearboxes, motors, bearings, shafts, couplings and DC terminal poles to Type F flame retardant conveyor belting that ships with test certificates, along with reinforced heavier duty belts built specifically to run with magnets.
Repairs, inspections and year end planning
Those slower weeks at the close of the year tend to be when plants finally tackle the maintenance that full production never allows. At its Jet Park workshop in Boksburg, Mechani Mags can repair or upgrade a magnet of any make or brand, taking on units weighing as much as 20 tons, and a loan unit may be available to keep a customer going while theirs is in. The company also carries out oil to dry conversions, which can generally turn an existing oil cooled electromagnet into a dry-type of equivalent strength without touching the existing power supply.
A trained site service team stays on standby all year round and will travel anywhere in the world. On-site work covers gauss testing and reporting, routine inspection reporting, certificate of compliance inspections, help with commissioning, fault finding, installation assistance, general repairs and servicing, and site assessments for new magnet applications. Training is on offer as well. When a magnet fails, customers can ship it to the Jet Park workshop for a free assessment plus a strip and quote, or have the company come and collect it.
Built on five decades of magnet work
Every design Mechani Mags produces rests on over 50 years spent working with magnetic equipment, and the company ships its products around the globe while looking after an international client base. Its leaning towards custom engineering means a magnet can be shaped around a plant's specific constraints, whether that is tight headroom or an awkward mounting angle.
Engineers, buyers and plant managers wanting to talk through ferrochrome separation, lifting magnets or any other magnetic separation need will find the complete product range and support services at https://africanmagnets.com/.
About Mechani Mags
Mechani Mags is a South African manufacturer of conveyor magnets, magnetic separators and lifting magnets, operating under the African Magnets name from its head office and workshop at 30 Bisset Road, Jet Park, Boksburg. The range spans dry-type, fan cooled and oil cooled suspended belt magnets, the rare earth Ferrochrome Magnet, lifting magnets, drum magnets, demagnetising coils, permanent magnet custom designs and a complete line of auxiliaries and spares. Serving mining, processing and recycling customers both in South Africa and abroad, the company also handles repairs, upgrades, training, site inspections, compliance reports and gauss testing.
Media Contact
Mechani Mags
Email: info@mecmag.co.za
Phone: +27 11 397 6870
Website: https://africanmagnets.com/