Overband Separators

An overband magnet is an industrial machine used to sort ferrous metals from non-metals. It is often used in the waste management and scrap metal industries for recovering steel, or to remove ferrous materials in a two stage process before using an eddy current machine.

Mixed material pass underneath the overband magnet. The magnetic field of the overband attracts ferrous metal towards the magnet face and the constantly rotating belt of the overband carries the extracted metal away from the magnet face. When the metal reaches past the end of the magnetic field it drops away from the cleaned material.

Overband magnets are installed above conveyor belts to provide continuous ferrous metal separation from mixed waste streams. As material passes underneath, the magnet lifts out steel and iron, ensuring reliable removal of ferrous contaminants. This protects downstream equipment such as shredders, crushers, screens, and conveyors from costly damage caused by tramp metal.

Typically an overband magnetic separator forms one of the first stages of metal recovery. By extracting ferrous metals early, plants improve product purity, increase recovery rates, and create a cleaner feed for subsequent processes such as magnetic drum separation and eddy current separation.

High-intensity permanent magnet systems deliver reliable, long-lasting performance across a wide range of applications. Their guaranteed non-deteriorating strength eliminates the need for electricity, keeping running costs low and maintenance minimal. With no electrical components, they also offer maximum operational safety—making them a smart, efficient choice for demanding environments.

A cross belt overband magnet can be easier to fit across a conveyor and it may be more convenient to discharge ferrous metal to the side of a conveyor. An in-line overband magnet tends to produce a cleaner ferrous metal and will usually have less belt wear than a crossbelt. Overband magnets need to be positioned above a non-magnetic section of conveyor. This includes the head pulley of the conveyor if it is an in-line installation.

No. While both inline and crossbelt overband magnets are designed to deliver optimal separation when mounted correctly, their magnetic fields are focused differently. Mounting an inline magnet as a crossbelt (or vice versa) will result in inconsistent magnetic coverage across the belt, reducing separation efficiency.