Eclipse Magnetics, Sheffield, UK, recently installed a high performance magnetic separation system at the Eco-Plastics/Coca Cola Enterprises joint venture plant at Hemswell, Lincolnshire. Processing over 140,000t of material each year, it is Europe’s largest mixed plastic bottle sorting facility.

Eco-Plastics faced a problem on a new processing line for detergent bottles, many of which are fitted with metal spring-loaded trigger mechanisms which become fragmented during the granulating process. If the metal is not removed it can damage down-stream equipment as well as causing batches of the final pellet extrusion to be rejected due to metal being present.  

Eclipse provided a separation system which was large enough to handle 5t/h of granulated PET while having the magnetic intensity to extract all the ferrous contamination, including very fine particles. A 300mm Auto Rota Shuttle magnetic separation system was specified with high intensity 9000 gauss magnetic rods. The magnetic assembly rotates, ensuring that the granules are turned as they flow through the unit. This prevents any bridging or blockages around the magnets.

The fully automated cleaning system discharges ferrous contamination without having to stop the line for cleaning or routine maintenance. Eco-Plastics installed two of these units which are now responsible for removing 85kg of ferrous materials from the process each week. Made from stainless steel, they can be supplied with full ATEX certification and in a variety of sizes. www.eclipsemagnetics.com 

One of the two Eclipse Magnetics systems at Eco-Plastics

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