Tennant Specs is now offering Magnet Pull Testing Services. Testing provides customers with the information needed to keep their operations safe and incident free. In this article, we will discuss:
What is Tennant Specs offering with our magnet testing?
Why are customers electing to perform magnet pull tests?
How magnet pull tests are performed?
Can magnet pull tests be done in-house by maintenance staff?
What is the cost of a magnet pull test?
What is Tennant Specs offering with Magnet Pull Tests?
With Representatives located in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, Tennant Specs has the ability to come on site at customer locations and test our customers magnetic protection equipment for efficacy.
Customers schedule a quick 15–30 minute virtual meeting with a Tennant Specs’ Rep to discuss the facility’s needs in regard to magnet testing. In this meeting the rep will also schedule a time to come to the customers location for the magnet testing. Appointment lengths vary based on the quantity of magnets being used at the facility
At the appointment the Tennant Specs Rep will test each and every magnet at the site and give individual reports on the strength and efficacy of each magnet. Along with this information, the rep will provide recommendations for any magnets out of spec.
If any of the magnets are below the desired strength, we will be happy to make recommendations for new magnets. Tennant Specs partners with Puritan Magnetics in replacing old and degraded magnets.
Why are customers electing to perform Magnet Pull Tests?
Tennant Specs serves over 3200 customers in the dry solids handling industry. From plastics to mining to food and everything in between. Many of these customers have equipment that costs hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. In order to protect this equipment from ferrous contaminants, our customers are installing magnetic protection equipment throughout the process.
These customers can’t afford their magnetic protection equipment to underperform and fail to collect the ferrous metal. With these customers, Tennant Specs performs regularly scheduled Magnet Pull Tests on the magnetic protection equipment. With the reports on each magnet and the recommendations our representatives are able to make, our customers are able to keep their expensive equipment from having damage and failures from ferrous metals.
How are Magnet Pull Tests Performed?
Testing a magnets strength is a straightforward process for the most part. Magnets will degrade over time and have a weaker attraction to ferrous metals for varying reasons. So-called permanent magnets are constructed from materials that are made up of magnetic domains. These domains have atoms in which electrons are aligned. This alignment of electrons can be damaged over time and weaken the magnetic field. In theory, if the domains were never disrupted the magnet would be a “permanent magnet”; however, in practice these so-called permanent magnets are never actually permanent. Things such as impacts, stray magnetic fields, age, and heat all contribute to the degradation of a magnet’s strength. Because of this degradation of the magnetic field, companies hire Tennant Specs to come on-site and test the pull strength of their magnetic protection equipment.
When we first show up on site, your Tennant Specs representative will need to be directed to the area where your magnets are and have the equipment that the magnets are protecting shut down. After locating the magnet we will determine the correct magnet testing equipment to use on your magnet. This will be either a spherical ball or plate depending on the type of magnetic protection equipment. After locating the magnets and selecting the right test-metal for your magnet, performing the pull test is as simple as zeroing out the scale, letting the test-metal attract to the magnet, then pulling the scale to test the magnet's strength.
After determining the magnets pull strength, your Tennant Specs rep will document the results and repeat the test 3-4 times to ensure accuracy. This will be done for all the magnets on-site and done at regular intervals to detect magnetic erosion and catch problems before equipment is damaged. Customers will always receive a copy of the documentation for their records.
Can Magnet Pull Tests be done in-house by maintenance staff?
Short Answer, yes. However, there are a few things to consider before adding magnet pull tests to your preventative maintenance schedule.
Training. Is there potential for high turnover in your maintenance staff? If so, doing magnet pull tests in-house is probably a bad option. The reason comes down to savings vs. risk. Having Tennant Specs perform your magnet pull tests for you is an inexpensive way to have a fully trained professionally come and look at your magnetic protection equipment. Alternatively, the risk of having an improperly-trained individual is not catching problems in the magnetic separation equipment and damaging downstream equipment that can cost hundreds of thousands to repair.
Material handling equipment expert on-site. Tennant Specs is a full service material handling equipment provider. We supply our clients with Dryers, Sifters, Mixers, Conveyors, Storage, Rotary Valves, and much more. While we’re on-site if you have questions about your other equipment or need an experienced rep to help solve a problem, we’ll already be there to look at the equipment and help answer your questions.
Never miss or delay a test. When you are using Tennant Specs to test your magnetic separation equipment, we will set up a regularly scheduled site visit to come out and do the testing. A Typical schedule is six months between tests. Because we have a vested interest in your process and keeping the schedule we set, you’ll never have to worry about your maintenance staff missing a testing cycle or being behind on preventative maintenance and the magnet testing getting pushed back 2 or 3 months. We’ll be there reliably.
What is the cost of a Magnet Pull Test?
Magnet Pull Test pricing breaks down to 3 components:
Number of magnets
$100 per magnet
Rep's man hours
billed at $150/hour
Rep's travel expenses
billed at cost
With these factors in mind we can quickly determine the annual preventative maintenance expense for keeping your magnetic separation equipment in spec. To schedule your free 30 min consultation, please reach out to us at www.tennantspecs.com/contact or fill out the form below.