Metal Separation from Virgin and Recycled Plastics at the K2019 Exhibition

Removing metal from virgin and recycled plastics is the focus on the Bunting Magnetic stand (Hall 10/J 47) at the international K 2019 exhibition (16-23 October 2019, Düsseldorf, Germany)

Bunting is one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of magnetic separators and metal detectors for the recycling and plastics industries.  The Bunting European manufacturing facilities for their wide range of metal separation and detection equipment are in Redditch, just outside Birmingham, and Berkhamsted, both in the United Kingdom.

Metal contamination is an issue for any company producing plastics products or managing plastic waste.  In virgin plastic manufacturing processes, metal damages processing equipment and the quality of the end-product.  Recycled plastic commonly has both ferrous and non-ferrous metal contamination, and removal is vital to enable the reuse of the waste material.

Bunting will have application experts from the UK, Italy, and the USA at the stand to help with product application questions.  The Bunting product portfolio includes a wide range of magnetic separators and metal detectors to detect and remove any metal.

The FF and HF Drawer Filter Magnets are the most commonly used magnetic separators in the plastics sector.  Visitors will see both standard and manual-clean (MSC) designs, all utilising the highest strength Neodymium Iron Boron (Rare Earth) Magnets.  In operation, plastic beads or shredded plastic waste falls through the Drawer Filter under gravity with ferrous metal contamination attracted and held onto the surface of the strong magnets.

Also, on display in Europe for the first time, is the new Hi-Temp Drawer Filter Magnet Model FF350.  The FF350 Model enables processing material at the higher temperatures experienced when mounted directly to the inlet of injection moulding machines.  High heat is damaging to standard rare earth magnets and the new design maintains magnetic strength at temperatures up to 350°F (175°C).  There are also changes to the housing, window and access fixings to provide trouble free operation at the higher temperatures.

Removing ferrous metal contamination prior to passing through a metal detector significantly limits the loss of uncontaminated plastic.  The gravity free-fall style metal separator identifies and separates non-ferrous metal contamination.  Demonstrations on the stand will show the detection and rejection of small non-ferrous metal by the quickTRON 03R and Machine Mounted All-Metal (MMS) detectors.

Visitors will also see displayed examples of the Pneumatic In-Line Magnet (PIM) and Torpedo In-Line Magnet (TIM), used to remove ferrous metal from pneumatically conveyed plastics.  These magnetic separators operate alongside the Pneumatic Style Metal Detector p-TRON 03 FM.  Pneumatic Style Metal Separators are designed to pick up (detect) and then reject any kind of metal from an enclosed pipe system.

The product display on the Bunting stand also includes the Plate Magnet (with and without tapered step) and Grate Magnets (round and square).

The issue of plastic waste continues to feature prominently in industry news and is a key discussion topic at K 2019.  Many plastic waste recycling operations use a combination of the Eddy Current Separator and Stainless Steel Separation Conveyor to cleanse the material of non-ferrous metals (e.g. aluminium) and fragmented stainless steel.  The Bunting Technical Team is available on the stand to discuss the best methods of cleansing plastic waste.  Controlled material tests at the Technical Laboratory in the UK confirm the level of separation and operating parameters.

“Bunting’s experience in solving metal contamination issues in the plastics sector is second to none,” said Simon Ayling, Bunting Europe’s Managing Director.  “Separation technology used in the manufacture of virgin materials has been adapted and developed for the rapidly growing recycling sector.  Without removing metal from waste, the recycling of plastic is simply not possible.  At the K 2019 show, we look forward to meeting companies in the plastics sector and helping them address and solve their metal contamination problems.”