Magnetic separator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9539584-B2
Application number	US-201314387455-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2013
Priority date	Mar 28, 2012
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A weak magnetic force magnetic separator, including: a belt conveyor conveying separation target particles; and a suspended magnet unit provided at a distance above the belt conveyor and configured to magnetically attract, with a uniform, weak magnetic force, the separation target particles conveyed over a belt. With a length of the magnet unit in its longer direction being greater than a belt width of the belt, and with the magnet unit placed such that its longer direction is aligned with the belt width direction and its both ends overhang the belt width, and such that a distance from the surface of the belt is constant across its longer direction, magnetic flux density variations in the belt width direction over the belt surface facing the magnet unit are 10% or less within a weak magnetic force range of from over 0 to 700 gauss.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A weak magnetic force magnetic separator, comprising:
a belt conveyor configured to convey separation target particles; and
a suspended magnet unit provided above the belt conveyor at a distance from the belt conveyor,
wherein said weak magnetic force magnetic separator, further comprises at least one swing pin-gate above the belt of the belt conveyor,
wherein the separation target particles conveyed over the belt are prompted to change postures over the belt upon contacting a pin of the pin-gate,
wherein the magnet unit magnetically recovers ferromagnetic bodies and refuses to magnetically recover weakly magnetic bodies by magnetically attracting, with a uniform, weak magnetic force, the separation target particles conveyed over a belt of the belt conveyor,
wherein with a length of the magnet unit in its longer direction being greater than a belt width of the belt, and with the magnet unit placed such that its longer direction is aligned with a direction of the belt width and its both ends overhang the belt width, and such that a distance from a surface of the belt is constant across its longer direction, variations in magnetic flux density in the direction of the belt width over the surface of the belt facing the magnet unit are 10% or less within a weak magnetic force range of from over 0 gauss to 700 gauss and
wherein the weak magnetic force magnet separator separates the separation target particles based on shapes thereof into those having a shape that rolls down an inclined surface by gravity and those having a shape that does not roll down the inclined surface by gravity, by inclining the belt of the belt conveyor toward a direction that is at a right angle from a moving direction of the belt.

2. A method of separating highly concentrated tantalum capacitor products from separation target particles
wherein the separation target particles are obtained from elements stripped and recovered from used printed circuit boards after a step of primary concentration followed by a step of secondary concentration,
wherein the step of primary concentration comprises of recovering particles that are in a same dimension range as that of tantalum capacitors from elements stripped and recovered from used printed circuit boards, and
wherein the step of secondary concentration comprises recovering separation target particles that are in a same specific gravity range as that of the tantalum capacitors from the particles recovered by the step of primary concentration,
said method comprising providing the weak magnetic force magnetic separator according to claim to 1
and obtaining from the separation target particles, particles that are discharged from the belt conveyor without being magnetically recovered, as highly concentrated tantalum capacitor products.

Assignees

• Nat Inst Advanced Ind Science & Tech

Inventors

• Oki Tatsuya
• Umemiya Yoko

Classifications

• B03C1/22 Primary

  with non-movable magnets · CPC title

• B03C1/16

  with material carriers in the form of belts · CPC title

• B03C2201/20

  Magnetic separation of bulk or dry particles in mixtures · CPC title

• B03C1/18

  with magnets moving during operation · CPC title

• C22B34/24

  Obtaining niobium or tantalum · CPC title