We all want to believe that the resin we buy, whether it be virgin, re-pro, or regrind, will come free of any contaminants/metal, but experience tells us otherwise. Whether it be pieces of metal that broke off from the process of pelletizing, grinding, or just the accidentally dropped bolt, we have all found metal in our material at some point in time.
Before we jump into the 5 reasons why having a magnet or metal separator in your plastic process will absolutely provide a quick ROI, here’s how it works:
The video below showcases Sesotec Sesotec’s Protector metal separator in action, which ensures that your process will be free and clear from any metal contamination. The metal separators are installed directly at the material inlet of the injection molding machines and we believe it is an important component in the protection of your molding machines and molds.
1. Damage to your Screw and or Barrel.
A piece of metal can cause minor scratches to your screw/barrel, or render it completely useless, which can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 dollars depending on the damage and size of your injection molding machine.
2. Damage to your mold and or hot runner system.
If you are getting small amounts of metal in your material that doesn’t get caught by your nozzle tip filters, it can clog up your hot runner tips, causing more frequent maintenance to be required, or cause a breakage in the tip/valve which can quickly become an expensive repair.
3. Down time.
Every time you have to clean out a filter, get maintenance done, or send out your equipment for repairs, you lose precious production time, which may cause problems in your production schedule.
4. Cost of Labor.
Whether it gets calculated or not, time spent by employees removing equipment or doing maintenance is an hourly cost, and time spent dealing with avoidable metal problems, is time not spent doing other necessary maintenance/work.
5. The effect on sales.
If the downtime causes a shortage on production, this could lead to problems or even the loss of a customer(s). There is also the level of confidence that any potential customer(s) will have when they see your process has a magnet & metal separator protecting your equipment or their molds.
From our experience, we have seen payback on magnets & metal separators to pay themselves off by catching metal contamination. We recently did a trial of a magnet at a custom molder who was using 100% virgin material, and within the first 3 weeks, they found a nail on the magnet. This saved them thousands of dollars of repairs and down time with just a several hundred dollar investment. They immediately invested in 10 magnets for their machines.
Conclusion
Magnets and metal separators protect your equipment, minimizes downtime, saves you money on repairs/labor, reduces scrap rates, and provides confidence to your customers.
They clearly increase productivity, consistency, and product quality. Magnets and Metal separators typically have a 1 to 6 month return on investment (ROI) because catching 1 piece of metal 1 time will typically pay off the unit by preventing repairs. Sesotec’s “easy-clean” magnets has a removable stainless steel sleeve over the magnet, which instantaneously removes metal from the magnet. There is also a clear glass opening so you can see if any metal is caught on the magnet without having to continuously checking for metal contaminates. Any metal caught will remain on the magnet or in the discharge bin, ready to be presented as evidence.
Having a magnet & metal separator is an insurance policy on your machines. Hirate America is partnered with Sesotec, a German based company (one of the most well-known respected in the industry). They provide many types of magnets, metal separators and optical sorting equipment to provide a solution for every process.
Please contact us if you have any projects you’d like to discuss with us.
