Drawer Magnets

What is a magnet drawer?

A drawer magnet is a recycling machine that is made up of drawers with rows of magnetic pipes. These pipes are arranged in such a way, that the waste stream flows in a criss-cross trajectory, as the magnetic tubes are centered in varying positions.

This recycling machine is ideal for tramp metal separation due to the direct contact with the pipes. The more drawers are present in the separator, the more Fe-contaminated particles from the product flow get filtered. It is important to clean the pipes regularly though, as the contamination can return to the product flow if the pipes are too cluttered.

Which kind of magnet drawer should I use and what options are available?

I'll try to categorize the various options and customizations of this recycling separator. The following parts are customizable: material of the housing (stainless steel, carbon steel, etc.), the amount of drawers, the self- or manual cleaning option, ceramic, alnico or rare earth magnet (Nd or SmCo), shape (round or rectangular drawers), size, and even combinations of other machines, like a torpedo magnet with drawers inside, also known as a Just-In-Time Fe-Separator.

Material of the housing

The construction itself can be made with various alloys. Most constructions are made from steel alloys, like carbon steel or stainless steel.

Amount of drawers

The putthrough rate will determine the amount of drawers that are needed for good Fe-separation. If the volume if the waste stream is too high, it is possible that the fe-contimated product flow will not attach itself to the magnetic pipes. Therefore, it might be a good idea to install multiple drawers or grates.

Self-cleaning or manual cleaning

It might be a hassle to clean the grates. Reasons for that can be the fact that Neodymium super-magnets are really strong and thus Fe-material is removed by force manually. Another reason it can be a hassle is that you'd actually need a person to do this kind of job, which can also be costly in the end. The opposite might also be true: perhaps you have employees who need to be occupied with an activity and perhaps you have to save costs on machinery. Then it's of course wiser to have a manual cleaning system. It all depends on your recycling factory.

Rectangular or round drawer magnet

Something that is also depending on the kind of recycling line you have, is the shape of the drawer magnet. When a round duct is placed above the drawer magnet, through which the waste stream is fed to the drawer magnet, it only makes sense to have the same shape and size so it fits nicely.

Sizes may vary

Should the material be fed vertically from another duct, it has to fit to avoid spillage. A second reason to watch closely to the size is the throughput rate. A small JIT (just-in-time) drawer magnet is obviously not made for large volumes of waste.


Keywords: Magnetic Drawer, Drawer Magnet, Housing Magnet, Housing Grate Magnet, JIT, separating machine, separator