Metal Recycling : Bunting and Smiley Monroe enhance belts for overband magnets
Bunting has partnered with Smiley Monroe to enhance a ToughFlex® belt for Overband Magnets. The modified belt offers increased resistance to excessive wear under challenging working conditions. Overband Magnets feature a permanent or electromagnetic block mounted between two pulleys, over which a cleaning belt continuously runs. During operation, the Overband Magnet is suspended above a conveyor transporting materials such as industrial and household waste or quarried rock. The magnetic field of the centrally positioned magnet block attracts ferrous metals and other magnetic materials, lifting them out of the conveyed material.
A moving cleaning belt with upstands lies between the magnet face and the separated metals, transferring captured material away from the conveyor and out of the magnetic field into a separate collection area. The separated metal, often angular with sharp edges, poses a risk of damaging the rubber cleaning belt. This is particularly problematic in applications such as handling industrial and commercial waste, where high volumes of metal in sharp forms frequently lead to belt damage.
Users of the ultra-strong yet lightweight ElectroMax Overband Magnet have achieved higher levels of metal separation, which has led to increased belt wear. In contrast, the lower magnetic power of permanent Overband Magnets resulted in less metal separation and, consequently, less belt wear.
To address the challenge of extending belt life in difficult applications, Bunting approached Smiley Monroe, a leading manufacturer of endless conveyor belts, cut rubber, and plastic components for the materials processing equipment manufacturing sector. Smiley Monroe regularly tests the abrasion resistance, tensile strength, and adhesion levels of both the cover rubber and fabric plies of their raw materials and finished products in their advanced laboratories to ensure compliance with DIN, ISO, and company standards.
After evaluating several options, Smiley Monroe recommended the ToughFlex® Belt. ToughFlex® conveyor belts are engineered for the most demanding applications, from bulk handling to mobile crushing. These belts are constructed with a special weave of two fabric plies and an additional binder warp. The reinforced plies resist punctures, while heavy-duty, wear-resistant top and bottom covers provide extra protection.
The selected belt material and design proved effective in reducing damage from ferrous metals piercing and tearing the belt, even when the materials were highly angular with multiple sharp edges. This resulted in less maintenance and extended production hours between belt replacements.
Once the belt material was chosen, the engineering design teams from Bunting and Smiley Monroe collaborated to adapt the belt for Overband Magnet applications, incorporating integrally moulded cleats to facilitate the transfer of captured ferrous metals.
“We [Bunting] are continually looking [to] make improvements that help our customers,” said Adrian Coleman, Bunting’s Technical Director. “An increasing number of our customers are turning to the ElectroMax Overband Magnet because of its increased magnetic power and compact design. However, for certain applications, we identified the benefit of using a belt with better wear characteristics and contacted Smiley Monroe.”