City Metals Recycling is a scrap metal merchant powering high-quality, sustainable recycling across the West Midlands, with a sharp focus on efficiency and environmental impact.
The Challenge
In line with their commitment to sustainability and performance, City Metals identified the need to upgrade a key part of its aluminium can (UBC) recycling line.
City Metals operates a two-stage Eddy Current Separator (ECS) system as part of its aluminium can (UBC) recycling line. In this process, cans first pass through a primary ECS, which separates the majority of non-ferrous metals from the waste stream. The remaining material is then processed through a secondary, smaller ECS (supplied by Magnapower in 2022) which captures residual metals to ensure maximum recovery.
The primary ECS—an established 15-year-old machine supplied by another vendor—was beginning to show its age. As maintenance needs increased and performance gradually declined, separation efficiency was affected, which in turn limited overall throughput and reduced the effectiveness of the process.
To maintain high recovery rates and produce clean aluminium suitable for remanufacturing, City Metals required a modern, high-performance ECS that could seamlessly replace the failing unit while fitting within the existing system footprint.
The Solution
With a proven track record of delivering high-performance systems and responsive support, City Metals once again selected Magnapower—this time to supply and install a new ECS 1200 Eddy Separator, purpose-built for high-capacity non-ferrous metal separation.
Key features of Magnapower’s ECS 1200 include:
- Proprietary Magnet Design: Magnapowers Rare Earth Neodymium magnet system provides long-lasting, non-deteriorating magnetic strength for superior separation efficiency
- Long-life reliability: The eccentric rotor design produces greater separation force than concentric designs, ensuring enhanced performance and durability
- Easy maintenance: Engineered for easy serviceability with a simple belt changing system, hinged access doors to key maintenance areas, and a wear-resistant carbon fibre rotor cover for extended operational life
- Expert support: Backed by Magnapower’s dedicated service and technical teams
The new ECS 1200 was delivered and fully installed within just five weeks, minimising downtime and integrating seamlessly with the existing process.
The Result
The new ECS will deliver immediate and measurable improvements across key areas of City Metals’ operations.
- Significant Cost Savings: The improved process efficiency will lead to greater reliability and reduced operational costs
- Increased Metal Recovery: Enhanced separation efficiency will boost overall metal recovery rates
- Enhanced Material Value: Higher throughput and increased aluminum recovery will elevate the total value of recovered output