NES 250 Eddy Current Star of Steinert Open

Equipment maker Steinert Elektromagnetbau GmbH, Koln, Germany, attracted more than 300 participants to its Steinert Open ‘06, an open house event held parallel to the Entsorga 2006 trade fair in Cologne in late October.

The event attracted 300 participants from Europe and overseas, according to the company, “many more than anticipated when planning first began.” The company’s Susanne Hoffmann remarks that “the two countries sending the highest numbers were not from Europe but from Japan and Taiwan, which together accounted for 60 participants.”

Although the event was timed to coincide with Entsorga, which already attracts recycling professionals from around the world, “As things turned out, both Steinert and the fair itself profited from the decision. In fact, 40 per cent of our participants made the journey to Cologne specifically to attend Steinert Open '06, and most of them then went on to visit the fair as well,” says Hoffmann. “Many people simply travelled a day earlier in order to take a look at what we have to offer, discuss business and enjoy the good atmosphere at the Steinert Open ‘06,” she adds.

The company says the emphasis at Steinert Open ‘06 was on demonstrations and opportunities to share ideas, with talks and displays following one another in loose succession.

Among those who spoke were Franz Heiringhoff, Steinert’s Managing Director and Technical Director Dr. Uwe Habich, who introduced the company’s recently unveiled X-ray sorting system.

That technology is designed to address “a whole range of new sorting applications such as organic from inorganic substances, light from heavy metals, PVC from other plastics, and normal from high-temperature glass. In the future, we and our customers will be exploring the boundaries of this technology and, where possible, extending them,” according to the company.

Sales Director Dr. Ulrich Kohaupt also commented on efficiency in metal processing. Key issues for the customer on that topic include high machine durability and consistently efficient separation.

There were a number of demonstrations featuring displays of the new XSS X-ray sorting system, the upgraded FSS color sorting system, and the new 2.5-meter-wide nonferrous metal separator.

According to Hoffmann:

• The XSS demonstrated its ability to separate light metals from a composite of metals, for example in the extraction of aluminium from a copper-rich mixture, for which sink-float separation systems are still the usual option and another demonstration showed how the FSS can be used to sort, on the basis of color, printed-circuit boards from electronic scrap. 
• Growth in the processing of shredder fines was addressed in the demonstration of the fine-pole system in an eddy current separator. The use of our eccentric pole system brings yields of as much as 30 per cent per ton of shredder fines.
•  In order to showcase the full range of products and systems from Steinert, there were also displays of various overband magnetic separators and electrical magnet drum separators as well as our high-gradient magnetic filter. Two induction sorting systems with a working width of 2.00 metres were also on display.
• A highlight for many may have been a demonstration of the NES 250, an eddy current separator with a working width of 2.5 meters, possibly making it the largest available in the market.