Industrial Magnetics

In the recent past, a renowned food production and processing organization received news about its popular macaroni and cheese dinner product being contaminated with metal pieces and had to recall 137,000 cases of the item. This was caused due to the metal bristles above the conveyor being chipped off during a customary servicing of the production line. It was then that the plant manager made an emergency call to Industrial Magnetics, a magnetic solutions company. As Industrial Magnetics had local support staff stationed in close proximity to the plant, they were able to fix the situation quickly by installing their Drawer-In-Housing magnet which was designed to capture ferrous contamination in a gravity product stream, thus averting a further crisis by cleaning the contaminated product. “Our goal has always been to sell a solution and not just a particular product,” says Dennis O’Leary, chief business development officer of Industrial Magnetics.

What sets Industrial Magnetics apart from many of its competitors is its speed-to-market, especially given that most of what they manufacture for food and related spaces is custom-based largely on application-specific challenges.

The company’s magnetic separator equipment for the food processing industry are designed by considering certain criteria such as the product, type of production line, pre-existing magnetic separators, and any governmental or regulatory guidelines their customer may be obliged to follow. During the requirement assessment, the Industrial Magnetics team determines the type and size of the magnets to be used, minimum standards, design specifications, and optimal location(s). Through this approach, they can deliver solutions quickly and efficiently, as well as adhere to any type of regulatory obligation. Some of their best-known products include the Drawer-In-Housing, Large Tube Housing, and The Ox. These separators force the customer’s product to repeatedly pass through its many magnetic tubes, ensuring maximum contact and enhanced opportunities for successful separation.

Product characteristics, such as high fat content flours, cakes mixes, leafy spices and cocoa powder, will guide many of the product choices to ensure the materials can still flow freely through the separator. Similarly, in pneumatic applications, the product passes rapidly into the separator, for which a Pneumatic Line Housing is best suited for powders. Larger product that might also exhibit a tendency to crack or shatter like dry noodles or beans, would typically be sent through an EP Tube magnet since the circuit is on the edge of the product flow so as not to destroy the integrity of the product. The company’s experts also help in determining the need for limit switches, door lockouts, status lights and a host of other options as well as the placement of the magnets. What’s more, upon a customer’s demand, a three-pronged solution involving the separator, an x-ray machine, and a metal detector, is provided. Industrial Magnetics has its team of mechanical engineers and electrical engineers along with a sales department provide complete sales, service, and engineering support located at headquarters in Boyne City, MI; across the U.S. are spread its seven regional managers, many of whom are degreed engineers as well. Additionally, customers can also opt for post-maintenance offers as well as planned audits to help them satisfy their safety and/or regulatory requirements.

“Our team at Industrial Magnetics has been consistent and confident in our ability to convince our users that we provide the best magnet solutions possible,” adds O’Leary. This is evident from the fact that Industrial Magnetics does not charge its customer for the assessment or drawings, and they have open access to all of its engineers.
Every year, new changes and amendments are made to regulations such as FSMA, HACCP, and USDA, and organizations tread on a tight rope to maintain production standards and still stay compliant. For its part, Industrial Magnetics is looking toward collaborating with companies that synergize with its ideologies and its method of working to keep pace with the industry. “Our customers rely on us to be the subject matter experts, and it is our duty to explain the entire procedure along with how we help them enhance their workflows,” says O’Leary.