It’s no secret that crossbelt magnets endure a great deal of wear and tear on the belt responsible for transporting separated metal away from the Conveyor. To mitigate this damage, Bunting has engineered a specialized, lightweight armored belt for crossbelt magnets. Bunting is renowned globally for designing and manufacturing magnetic separators, eddy current separators, metal detectors, and electrostatic separators. Their production facilities are based in Newton, Kansas, just outside Wichita in the heart of the United States.

Armored Belts Shield Crossbelt Magnets from Excessive Wear and Enhance Belt Longevity

Mounted above a conveyor that carries materials like aggregates, waste, shredded wood, or mined ore, crossbelt magnets function by generating a magnetic field, either via a permanent magnet or an electromagnetic block. This field draws ferrous metals from the conveyed material onto the rotating self-cleaning belt. Rubber upstands on the belt capture the lifted metal and transport it away from the conveyed material into a separate collection area.

The impact force when ferrous metal hits the self-cleaning rubber belt is significant, given the magnetic attraction increases as the metal nears the magnet's face. As a result, the metal accelerates toward the belt, temporarily pinching the moving belt between the lifted metal and the magnetic block until the upstand catches and removes the item from the magnetic field.

Applications where self-cleaning belts experience substantial wear:

• High quantities of ferrous metal in the conveyed material.

• Large and heavy ferrous metals.

• Nails or thin, sharp ferrous metals.

• Models with additional force in their magnetic block (such as the ElectroMax and ElectroMax-Plus).

To minimize excessive wear and extend the belt lifespan of crossbelt magnets, Bunting’s engineers crafted a lightweight yet robust armor for the belt. Although alternative solutions like special wear-resistant belt coatings and other rubber belt types exist, the armor provides unmatched protection, greatly enhancing belt longevity.

This armor comprises high-density polyethylene (HDPE) slats, each measuring 100mm in width and 10mm in thickness, custom-fitted to match specific crossbelt magnet models. The slats are attached to the belt using special 304 stainless steel elevator bucket bolts and nyloc nuts.

Adrian Coleman, Bunting’s Technical Director in the UK, remarks, “The introduction of this armored belt design has been highly popular. Other types of belt armor have not performed well, but the HDPE has proven exceptionally effective.”