Magnetic separators play dual roles in mining. It protects equipment from tramp metal and recovering valuable minerals or removing magnetic impurities from ore
Dry vs wet: Dry units for pre-concentration and equipment protection; wet units for slurry-based recovery .
Magnetic intensity:
Low (e.g., LIMS, drum magnets) for iron ore
High (e.g., rare-earth rolls, induced roll) and high-gradient (e.g., HGMS, matrix) for weakly magnetic minerals
Equipment Type | Use Case | Description |
Overband magnets & head pulleys | Tramp metal removal | Deep fields, installed over belts or in-pulley |
Drum separators | Iron ore, magnetite | Rotating drum; ferrous sticks to shell |
Rare-earth roll / induced roll | Dry beneficiation of paramagnetics | Permanent or electromagnetic rolls pull magnetic phases |
High-gradient / matrix separators | Fine/weakly magnetic minerals | Intense field via matrix to extract fine particles |
Three-disc high-intensity separators | Special minerals (e.g., tungsten, rare earth) | Adjustable, high-intensity dry units |
Wet drum separators & electromagnetic filters | Slurry processing | Slurry-fed units for wet magnetic recovery |
Tramp metal units use deep magnetic fields to attract and remove ferrous. Ore beneficiation uses shallow or matrix-supported fields to selectively separate based on magnetic susceptibility.
Ferromagnetic: Magnetite, nickel, cobalt — recovered by low-intensity units
Paramagnetic: Ilmenite, hematite, tungsten minerals — benefits from high-intensity
Diamagnetic: Impurities like silica are separated out in high-gradient setups
Type | Advantages | Considerations |
Self-cleaning | Automatically discharges ferrous materials; reduces manual labor | Higher initial cost; more complex structure |
Fixed (Stationary) | Simpler design; lower cost | Requires periodic manual cleaning |
Permanent Magnet | Energy-efficient; no external power needed | Magnetic field is constant; cannot be turned off |
Electromagnetic | Switchable magnetic field; adjustable strength | Higher energy consumption; requires power supply & cooling |
Enhances plant safety by shielding crushers and conveyors
Increases product purity
Enables fine mineral recovery, even from low-grade ore
Supports sustainability: dry processes without chemicals, lower power use with permanent magnets
Lab test facilities (e.g., Bunting Redditch) enable tailored designs
Modular and digital designs (e.g., Mineral Technologies’ HGMS/LIMS) support scalability and automation
Permanent magnet units can reduce operating costs by 30–50% compared to electromagnets
Magnetic separation is a proven, versatile method supporting both equipment protection and mineral recovery.
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