What Is Demagnetization?
The strength of a magnet, usually measured in gauss or pull, is one factor that determines the effectiveness of a magnetic separator. In the food industry, equipment is exposed to a variety of different temperatures, environments, products, and other circumstances that can affect the magnet’s strength.
High-quality magnetic separators can retain adequate strength & effectiveness for many years, however, low-quality cheap systems can lose their strength rapidly – despite being 10,000 gauss or higher upon supply!
Loss of magnetic strength is referred to as ‘demagnetization’.
Some of the most common influences of demagnetization include:
• temperature,
• oxygen absorption,
• resonant vibration,
• thermal shock, and
• rough handling (such as dropping or banging).
Once a rare earth magnet’s strength is lost, it is lost forever – you cannot ‘recharge’ these magnets strength as you can a battery.
To learn more about the causes of demagnetization and how to prevent this from occurring, download our free whitepaper here.