Home » MPI Products Inc » Products » Metal Separation and Metal Sorting Solutions » Magnetic Separation for Pneumatic Applications » Inline Drawer & Plate Magnets for Pneumatic Applications
Inline Drawer & Plate Magnets for Pneumatic Applications
MPI Inline Drawer and Plate Magnets are high-efficiency magnetic separators designed for installation directly into horizontal or vertical pneumatic conveying lines. Engineered to capture and retain ferrous contaminants from free-flowing powders, granules, and other dry bulk materials, these systems protect downstream processing equipment while maintaining product purity and system flow integrity. Inline Drawer Magnets use high-intensity rare earth magnetic cartridges arranged in staggered rows within a sanitary stainless-steel housing, providing maximum exposure to the product stream. Inline Plate Magnets, by contrast, use powerful magnetic plates mounted inside the conveying duct to extract tramp metal from fast-moving material under pressure. Available in manual, quick-clean, and self-cleaning designs, MPI’s inline magnets are ideal for frequent cleaning applications in food, plastics, pharmaceutical, and chemical processing. Their space-saving inline construction and easy tool-free access make them a smart choice for FDA, USDA, and cGMP-compliant facilities.
Manual-Clean Plate Magnet With Housing (Inline Plate)
MPI’s Manual-Clean Plate Magnet with Housing is designed for low to moderate-volume pneumatic conveying systems where basic tramp metal removal is required. Installed inline, the unit features a powerful rare-earth plate magnet mounted within a stainless-steel housing that captures ferrous contaminants from fast-moving dry product streams. It’s ideal for applications that allow routine line access for manual cleaning. The hinged access door allows operators to wipe off accumulated metal quickly. With a compact profile and rugged construction, it’s a cost-effective solution for food, chemical, plastics, and grain processors aiming to protect downstream equipment and maintain product purity.
Quick-Clean Plate Magnet With Housing (Inline Plate)
The Quick-Clean Plate Magnet with Housing offers enhanced separation efficiency with streamlined maintenance for pneumatic transfer lines. This unit captures ferrous contaminants from flowing dry materials, featuring a powerful plate-style rare earth magnet housed in a sanitary stainless enclosure. Its hinged access panel and integrated cleaning tray allow fast, tool-free metal removal, reducing downtime in production environments requiring frequent cleaning cycles. This separator is ideal for food, pharma, and powder handling operations and helps maintain regulatory compliance while improving equipment protection. The compact inline design installs easily into vertical or horizontal pressurized lines.
Self-Clean Plate Magnet With Housing (Inline Plate)
MPI’s Self-Clean Plate Magnet with Housing is a fully automated, inline magnetic separator designed for high-volume pneumatic systems and hard-to-access locations. It features a powerful, rare-earth plate magnet inside a sealed housing with a pneumatically actuated self-cleaning mechanism that periodically discharges collected metal without interrupting product flow. Perfect for food, plastics, and chemical applications where frequent cleaning is required, this system reduces labor, enhances safety, and minimizes downtime. With stainless steel construction and FDA-compliant options, it offers exceptional contaminant capture and hands-free performance, ensuring consistent protection of downstream equipment in sanitary, regulated environments.
Quick-Clean Inline Pneumatic Drawer Magnet
MPI’s Quick-Clean Inline Pneumatic Drawer Magnet delivers high-efficiency tramp metal separation in pneumatic conveying lines, featuring a multi-tier drawer of rare earth magnetic tubes inside a stainless-steel housing. The unit’s quick-clean design allows operators to slide out the magnetic drawer, separate the magnetic core from the sleeve, and easily remove collected ferrous debris. Designed for medium to high-frequency cleaning environments, this separator is ideal for food, nutraceutical, and plastics operations requiring low downtime and high sensitivity. Its inline profile allows for easy vertical or horizontal installation without disrupting pneumatic flow or requiring excessive line space.
Self-Clean Inline Pneumatic Drawer Magnet
The Self-Clean Inline Pneumatic Drawer Magnet is MPI’s most advanced pneumatic drawer separator, engineered for continuous operation and automated contaminant removal in pressurized conveying systems. It uses a series of staggered rare-earth magnetic tubes arranged in a two-tier configuration within a stainless-steel housing. A pneumatically powered cleaning mechanism cycles the magnetic cores through a sealed wiper system, releasing collected metal into a separate discharge port, without stopping product flow. Ideal for high-throughput, sanitary environments such as food, chemical, or pharmaceutical manufacturing, this unit reduces labor demands and maximizes uptime while exceeding HACCP and FDA sanitation standards.
Compatibility Check - Inline Drawer & Plate Magnets for Pneumatic Applications Comparison
Unique Benefits and Considerations
Industries, Applications and Regulations
For assistance in selecting the most suitable Electro & ElectroPermanent Magnetic Chucks and Controller for your application or for additional customization options, contact Magnetic Products Inc. today to speak with our team of experts!
Industry Type
These systems are widely adopted across industries where product purity, equipment protection, and compliance with regulatory standards are vital:
Food & Beverage
Flour milling and grain processors
Coffee and tea packaging plants
Dry ingredient blending facilities
Confectionery and snack manufacturers
Pharmaceutical & Nutraceutical
Powder handling and capsule filling operations
Supplement and protein powder producers
Cleanroom ingredient blending applications
Plastics & Polymer Manufacturing
Plastic pelletizing and compounding
Masterbatch producers
Regrind and resin transfer systems
Chemical Processing
Powder coatings, pigments, and additives
Detergents, cleaners, and industrial powders
Pet Food & Animal Feed
Dry kibble manufacturers
Vitamin and supplement mixers for livestock feed
Cosmetics & Personal Care
Powdered base ingredients (e.g., talc, mica)
Bulk packaging lines for dry formulas
Contract Packagers & Toll Processors
Blending and packaging for dry bulk materials
Ingredient transfer services across multiple product lines
Processing Application
MPI Inline Drawer & Plate Magnets for Pneumatic Applications are typically used to remove ferrous metal contaminants from:
Dry powders (e.g., flour, milk powder, cocoa)
Granulates (e.g., plastic pellets, resins, sugar)
Flakes and chips (e.g., cereal, coffee, rice)
Abrasive materials (e.g., silica, pigments)
Free-flowing ingredients and additives
They are often placed:
Upstream of packaging or mixing equipment
Mid-line in transfer systems to protect sensitive downstream components
Before or after receivers or rotary valves in vacuum or pressure conveying lines
Regulations and Requirements
Regulations & Compliance Standards
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
Materials Compliance (21 CFR 177 Subparts):
Components that come into contact with food (e.g., gaskets, seals, contact surfaces) must be made of FDA-approved materials such as 304/316 stainless steel, EPDM, or silicone.Design Considerations:
Requires smooth, non-porous, and easy-to-clean surfaces to prevent microbial harborage and product buildup.
USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)
Focuses on hygienic design for equipment used in meat, poultry, and egg product processing.
Pneumatic Line Magnets must:
Be clean-in-place (CIP) or easily disassembled for sanitation.
Avoid recessed welds or exposed threads in product zones.
cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) – 21 CFR Part 110 / 117
Applies to food and pharmaceutical facilities and requires:
Systems to be designed and maintained to prevent contamination.
Documentation and validation of inspection and cleaning routines.
Metal separation equipment to serve as Critical Control Points (CCPs) under HACCP plans.
3-A Sanitary Standards (for Dairy and Food Processing)
While not required for all pneumatic magnets, processors in dairy or aseptic environments may specify 3-A standards for:
Hygienic construction
Tool-less disassembly
Cleanable magnetic tubes and housings
EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group) – EU Market
Encourages hygienic design principles for pneumatic magnets in European food processing plants:
Sloped surfaces for drainage
Gasket and seal material compliance
Weld quality standards (e.g., ground and polished seams)
Quality Control Parameters & Best Practices
Parameter & Details
Magnetic Strength Testing: Regular verification of magnetic field strength (typically ≥10,000 gauss for rare earth magnets). Certified pull-test kits or gauss meters are used.
Cleaning Verification: Cleaning cycles (manual, quick-clean, or self-cleaning) must be documented and validated as part of sanitation SOPs.
Performance Validation: Use of test wands or spheres (ferrous, non-ferrous, and stainless steel) passed through the line to verify detection and retention capability.
Reject Confirmation: In systems with automated reject or diverter valves, sensors confirm activation, and events are logged for traceability.
Visual Inspection Protocols: Scheduled inspections to verify there is no product buildup, gasket wear, or magnet fatigue.
Documentation & Recordkeeping: Required for HACCP, FSMA, and GFSI schemes (e.g., SQF, BRCGS), including magnetic test results, cleaning records, and corrective actions.
Safety & Equipment Protection
In addition to food and pharma standards, pneumatic line magnets also protect equipment and employees by preventing:
Metal-induced sparks in dust-rich environments (reducing explosion risk)
Damage to rotary valves, blenders, mills, and packaging lines
Increased wear from metal-on-metal abrasion