Employing state of the art solutions to global aggregate companies

by Hugh McMichael

The mining of bedrock deposits of aggregates is an increasingly lucrative industry requiring operations involving large earth-moving machinery, belt conveyors and equipment for the crushing and separation of aggregates. To endure in the rugged conditions faced in aggregates operations, the equipment must be highly durable and powerful.

Tramp metal and equipment damage
The aggregate industry continues to boom due to the rapid growth in worldwide population, further resulting in the high demand of construction materials for roads and infrastructure. The availability of such materials can prove troublesome in certain geographical regions. Therefore, high demands are met through the use of slag and recycled concrete. This process allows for heavy amounts of aggregates to be produced, but in return causes extreme wear to operating equipment over time due to tramp metal.

Early in its history, NorX recognized that ferrous material contamination in the production flow of coal, limestone, sand, ores, gravel and other aggregate material handled by our customer base was an issue that must be addressed. The company began its search for a supplier with a solution.

Eriez Model SE-7338 MC-2 Suspended Electromagnet removing
damaging tramp iron forCloser view of the tramp iron that could damage a crusher downstream being removed by Eriez’ magnet.

When you put a magnet on a processing belt, you are trying to protect very expensive equipment — usually a crusher that could cost close to a million dollars. If a big piece of metal gets into a crusher, it can cause rather expensive damage. This makes it of vital importance that the magnets we distribute acts as a reliable safety device for this costly equipment.

NorX was quickly made aware of Eriez, a leading manufacturer of magnetic, vibratory and inspection equipment. NorX managers soon met with Eriez design engineers and application specialists to learn more about the company and its products. Eriez personnel quickly sold us through their knowledgeable suggestions of cost efficient products that would well suit our customers’ needs.

SE Series electromagnets
The driving mission behind NorX has always been to provide the highest level of quality products to meet the various needs of our customer base. After initial distribution of Eriez products in the early 1980s, NorX customers quickly developed a trust in the Eriez name based on equipment performance.



Eriez Model SE-7338 MC-2 Suspended Electromagnet removing
damaging tramp iron for customer’s conveyor belt.

Eriez is widely known by their orange colored suspended electromagnets. Our customers see the brightly colored orange equipment and know from experience that they can expect quality. Eriez manufactures very popular equipment. It does a good job and we don’t have any problems with them. It’s a very smooth partnership.

Customers invest significant amounts of money for magnetic equipment and count on getting their money’s worth for it. When we sell a magnet to a customer, it’s usually a capital expenditure that will run them $10,000 to $30,000. Understandably, they expect their magnets to run a minimum of ten years without malfunction.

The most popular Eriez products sold through NorX are Series 7000 Suspended Electromagnets (SE). This line is available in 23 magnet sizes, 69 standard models and can be custom designed specifically for unique application needs.

Lately, we have seen a surge in the sale of the Eriez Manual Clean SE 7338 model. We just sold Lafarge a couple of Eriez magnets for their Oxford, GA location, as well as three Eriez magnets to Vulcan Materials Company at their Lithia Springs, GA location. These two companies are global leaders in the aggregate industry. We are proud to have them as customers and pleased to be able to offer them superior equipment, such as that from Eriez.

Series 7000 electromagnets
Designed with an Eriez Hi-Gradient Magnetic Circuit, the Series 7000 SE magnets from Eriez remove damaging tramp iron from materials conveyed in heavy burden depths on belt conveyors or chutes. They effectively and efficiently protect equipment and improve product purity.
Eriez Series 7000 SE magnets are equipped with many advanced features, including Class H aluminum or copper coils that utilize Nomex insulation to prevent shorts and provide exceptional coil life. They are also designed with Eriez’ innovative and exclusive oil expansion tank, which prevents the overheating and burnout of oil-cooled electromagnets.

Series 7000 Manual Clean models provide continuous removal of ferrous contaminants. Self Cleaning Models, designed with a continuously rotating belt, are also available and can be custom designed according to specific application space, clearance, conveyor belt speed, burden depth and contaminant size.

Dan Norrgran, Aggregates Market Manager at Eriez, says that with its manganese bottom plate, the SE Series 7000 magnets offer unmatched durability. He explains that Eriez stands behind their product with its industry leading warranty. “The internal coil assembly on every Series 7000
Magnet comes with a five full years from date of shipment warranty. All other parts are backed by a one-year warranty,” he said. “We have models available to fit practically any need,” he added.

These kinds of features are what make Eriez’ SE Magnets such a popular choice.

Why look anywhere else?

NorX is well aware of numerous equipment manufacturers for the aggregate industry, but Eriez remains the brand trusted most over time.