Announced last week by designers Master Magnets Ltd, the 17,000 facility at BMW's engine manufacturing site at Castle Bromwich in the Midlands can process one tonne of metal chippings every hour.
 A vibratory feeder sends mixed metallic swarf into a magnetic drum for separation at the BMW plant |
The equipment can generate clean aluminium from mixed ferrous and non-ferrous metals shavings, known within industry as swarf.
Redditch-based Master Magnets developed the separator machine with magnetic distributors Magna Force Ltd. BMW had been selling its aluminium swarf mixed with iron for a low value.
By using a double drum, material is separated twice, to create cleaner, more marketable, aluminium that can fetch as much as 1,000 per tonne.
Installed in March, Master Magnets said the machine should pay for itself within 18 months.
Ashley Phelps, marketing manager for the company, said today that the trial of the BMW system was “going well”.
Profit
He said: “This is a new type of technology and one of the first swarf separators in the UK. People are starting to realise what you can do with waste. If you separate swarf you can make a higher profit – turning waste into a more valuable resource.”
Master Magnets said the success of the BMW facility may encourage other companies to invest in separation machines.
Mr Phelps said: “Landfill sites are filling up and a lot more people want to recycle their waste. Eventually other car manufacturers may want to go down the same road as BMW.”
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