Magnet validations are crucial for industries that rely on magnetic separation to protect product integrity and meet safety standards. In this blog, we’ll explore the process, what it looks like, and what to expect when scheduling one.
Why Test Magnetic Separation Equipment
Regular magnet testing is essential to ensure the equipment is performing optimally and continues to protect your final product from metal contamination. Over time, magnets can lose strength or become damaged, making validation crucial for early detection of issues and maintaining compliance and safety.
How Magnets Become Demagnetized Over Time
Magnets naturally lose their strength, but factors like heat, oxygen absorption, mechanical stress, or environmental exposure can accelerate the demagnetization of magnets. This can compromise the safety of your product and increase the risk of contamination, making regular testing a necessity.
What Is a Magnet Validation?
A Magnet validation involves a series of tests that check the magnetic strength, positioning, and overall condition of your separation equipment. This ensures they meet industry standards, like those set by HACCP International in the MAGSEP Standard, and continue to protect your product effectively.
What to Expect When You Schedule a Magnet Validation
If you’re booking a magnet validation for the first time, you might be wondering what the process looks like. In general, the validation itself is quick and efficient, often taking as little as 5 to 15 minutes per separator. During this time, the technician will carefully evaluate various factors, including the condition, magnetic strength, and positioning of the magnets. If necessary, they may also isolate certain parts of the line to prevent disruption.
Downtime for your production line is minimal, and the entire process is designed to work around your schedule to reduce impact. After the validation, you’ll receive a detailed report outlining the condition and performance of your magnets and, where required, recommendations for improvement to meet current standards where applicable.
A Detailed Look at the Process of Magnet Testing
When you schedule a magnet validation, the process involves several critical steps to ensure that your magnets are functioning at optimal levels. An experienced technician will conduct a thorough assessment on-site, which typically includes a physical inspection of the condition of the magnet and its positioning in the product stream, magnetic strength measurement using a calibrated Gauss meter, a risk assessment, and compliance verification. Let’s take a closer look at each part of this process.
Physical Inspection
The physical inspection is the first step of the validation process, where the technician carefully examines each magnet and its surrounding environment. This step involves checking for any visible wear, damage, or corrosion that might affect the magnet’s performance. It’s essential that magnets are functioning properly and installed correctly. Misalignment or improper placement can significantly reduce the product stream coverage and effectiveness of the magnetic separation process, allowing contaminants to bypass the magnets.
In this stage, the technician also evaluates the condition of the housing or protective covering around the magnets, as any degradation here could impact the safety of the product.
Magnet Strength Measurement
Another critical aspect of magnet validation is testing the magnetic strength. Over time, magnets naturally lose their power. However, factors like heat, oxygen absorption, physical wear, and environmental exposure can accelerate the demagnetization process, causing a magnet to lose its strength more quickly. To verify that your magnets are performing optimally, the technician will measure their strength using a highly accurate, calibrated gauss meter. A pull test may also be used, however, many auditors prefer gauss to Pull testing, being the most reliable, accurate, and up-to-date method of testing.Calibrated gauss meters provide an accurate reading of the magnet’s field strength, ensuring precise measurements on individual magnet poles (where metal contamination is collected) that meet industry standards.
During this step, the technician will test each magnet at several points or pole centers to ensure strength is consistent across the entire surface of the magnet. This helps identify any weak spots or areas where magnetic performance is reduced, which could allow metal contaminants to pass through.
Risk Assessment
After the magnet strength is measured, the next step is conducting a thorough risk assessment. This part of the validation focuses on identifying any high-risk areas where metal contamination might occur and where the product is unprotected. The technician will analyze the positioning of the magnets relative to the product stream, ensuring that all critical points are covered and that no areas are left unprotected. The technician may also perform a more detailed analysis of your entire production line, as, at times, magnets may need to be added to offload the burden on final magnets and add further protection upstream. Risk assessments would also identify where a final magnet may be absent, which is critical for compliance with the HACCP Standard as final magnets play a crucial role in product safety.
When inspecting magnetic separators, the type of materials being processed should be taken into consideration, as some magnets perform better than others in certain applications. A technician can make recommendations to increase productivity and product safety at your plant and help you overcome challenges experienced with certain products and applications, such as product build-up, wear of magnets due to abrasion, high contamination levels, cleaning and maintenance challenges, and more.
Compliance Verification and Reporting
Once the testing and assessments are complete, the final step is compliance verification. The results of the magnet validation are compiled into a HACCP Certified report. Adhering to industry standards, such as those established by HACCP and other regulatory bodies, helps manufacturers maintain essential safety protocols and ensure their products are safe for consumers.
The magnet validation report outlines the condition of each magnet, provides measurements of magnetic strength, notes product stream coverage and retention, highlights any areas of concern, and more. It also includes recommendations for corrective actions, such as replacing weak or damaged magnets or adjusting the positioning of existing ones.
The report serves as a record of your compliance with food safety regulations, providing valuable documentation in case of audits or inspections. In addition, the report may include a risk assessment summary, giving you a clear picture of any vulnerabilities in your production line and how to address them.
Looking for more insights into magnet validations? Take a look at this blog for more information like what could be impacting your magnet’s strength.
The Benefits of a Professional Magnet Validation
Investing in professional magnet validation helps you determine if your equipment is functioning properly and compliant with industry standards. This brings several key benefits:
Regulatory Compliance
A magnet validation helps ensure and check whether your equipment meets important safety standards like HACCP, which are critical for food and other processing industries. Staying compliant not only protects your business from regulatory issues but also safeguards your product quality.
Traceability
When done by an experienced professional, the testing equipment calibration records should be traceable to a national measurement authority, ensuring your reporting remains accurate and traceable for calibration records when required.
Operational Efficiency
By identifying weak or damaged magnets early, magnet validation helps prevent metal contamination events that could lead to costly downtime or product recalls. This proactive approach ensures that your process runs smoothly and efficiently.
Extended Equipment Lifespan
Regular magnet validations can help extend the lifespan of your equipment by identifying potential issues before they lead to larger, more expensive problems. Addressing concerns like causes of demagnetization early can help save you from frequent replacement of magnets.
Consistent Quality of End Products
Maintaining strong, functional magnets helps ensure safer end products, protecting brand reputation and delivering consistent quality to customers.
Invest in Quality; Magnattack Has the Validation and Inspection Services You Need
At Magnattack, we offer a comprehensive magnet validation service through our partner, AMR Consulting, that are designed to meet the highest standards of quality and compliance. Our team of experts has advanced industry knowledge to provide detailed assessments of your magnetic separation equipment, ensuring product safety and regulatory adherence. Contact our team today to get started.
