How often should I be cleaning my magnets?
This is another question that is dependent upon your individual process. Obviously the more metal you receive or produce in your process, the more frequently the magnets need to be cleaned. A general rule is the more frequently, the better. As a magnet gathers ferrous metal, the magnetic field is dispersed over a larger surface area. This happens because ferrous metal is paramagnetic, meaning it takes on the properties of the magnetic field. When this happens, the magnetic field strength is reduced. It is better to begin cleaning more frequently after the magnet is placed and reducing the frequency as possible without jeopardizing the effectiveness of the piece of equipment. Each manufacturing facility will be different as well as locations within the same facility may very well need to be cleaned at different intervals. “More is better.”
Establishing the cleaning schedule:
- After installation, inspect your magnet after the first hour of production
- If an insignificant amount of metal is observed, return in 2 hours to inspect magnet
- If magnet continues to have insignificant amount of tramp metal, it is recommended that maximum time between cleaning is 8 hours
- If significant amount of metal is found on magnet, increase the cleaning interval as required to ensure the magnet does not reach maximum tramp metal capacity
