As the mining and recycling sectors move through the mid-year maintenance window, Mechani Mags is putting its inspection and servicing work at the front of the queue. The Boksburg manufacturer, which builds overband magnets and separation equipment for tramp metal removal, is using the quieter winter period to help plants check, test and recertify the magnetic equipment that protects their crushers, mills and downstream machinery.

Tramp metal is the loose steel and iron that finds its way onto a conveyor belt: broken bucket teeth, bolts, tools, reinforcing bar and offcuts. When it reaches a crusher or a shredder it can cause serious damage, unplanned downtime and safety incidents. The equipment that catches it, from suspended belt magnets to a conveyor metal detector, only does its job if it is kept in good condition and tested regularly. That is the gap Mechani Mags is focused on filling this season.

Why servicing matters now

South African processing and recycling operations tend to plan larger maintenance stops during the cooler winter months, when production schedules allow for planned shutdowns. July is a natural point in the year to inspect installed equipment, address wear before it becomes failure, and confirm that separation performance still meets the requirements of the plant. Mechani Mags is aligning its site visits and workshop capacity with that rhythm so operators can go into the second half of the year with equipment they can rely on.

The company designs and manufactures its magnetic separators in South Africa, and it supports them through the full life of the installation. That local base matters for turnaround. Instead of waiting for parts or specialists from abroad, plants in Gauteng and further afield can arrange on-site inspection, gauss testing and repairs from a manufacturer that knows its own equipment and can act quickly when something needs attention.

What the service work covers

Mechani Mags offers a structured set of support services rather than a single call-out. Site inspections give operators an independent view of how their suspended magnets and separation units are holding up. Gauss testing measures the actual magnetic field strength being delivered, which is the real indicator of whether a unit is still pulling tramp metal off the belt as intended. A magnet can look fine and still have lost performance, so measurement rather than assumption is what keeps a plant protected.

Alongside testing, the company handles repairs and upgrades, compliance reporting, on-site repair work and operator training. Compliance reporting is particularly important in mining, where equipment condition and safety documentation are not optional. By carrying out the inspection and producing the report, Mechani Mags helps plants keep their records in order and their equipment defensible in an audit. Training rounds this out by making sure the people running the belts understand how the magnets should behave and what a warning sign looks like.

The auxiliary side of the business supports all of this. Control panels, flame-retardant belting, suspension chain sets and magnet spares are available so that a service visit can become a full repair rather than a diagnosis followed by a long wait. Keeping these items available locally is part of how the company reduces downtime for its clients.

Built on the same design principles

The servicing push is an extension of the way Mechani Mags builds its equipment in the first place. Its overband units are self-cleaning suspended magnets designed for continuous tramp metal removal on conveyor belts, and the newer generation of its dry magnetic separator runs without oil or fans. That design choice removes a whole class of maintenance tasks, since there is no oil to change and no cooling fans to fail, and it lowers the running cost of the unit over its life.

The dry-type range is built from stainless steel with an IP66 rating for dust and water protection, and it can run at any position or angle, including inverted, which suits the awkward installation points found in real plants. Options such as a low head-room model, belt-slip and tear detection, temperature monitoring and hazardous-environment certification mean the same core product can be adapted to underground and surface operations alike. Equipment built to this standard is well suited to a long service life, which is exactly why regular testing and inspection pay off.

Serving mining, processing and recycling

Mechani Mags works across mining, mineral processing and recycling, and it also produces specialised units such as ferrochrome magnets for separating ferrochrome from slag and heavy-duty lifting magnets for scrap handling, ball loading and furnace loading. That range means the company sees a wide variety of operating conditions, from abrasive ore streams to scrap yards, and it brings that experience to every inspection.

The company designs its equipment for local conditions and exports it worldwide, so the servicing knowledge it applies at a plant in South Africa is drawn from a broad base of installations. For operators, the practical value is straightforward. A magnet that is inspected, tested and maintained on a sensible schedule keeps protecting the plant, protects the safety of the people working around it, and avoids the far larger cost of a crusher taken out by a piece of tramp metal that should have been caught.

A practical focus for the season

The message from Mechani Mags this winter is a practical one. The magnetic equipment guarding a plant is only as good as its last inspection, and the mid-year window is the right time to book that work in. By combining manufacturing, spares, testing and compliance under one roof, the company aims to make it simple for mining, processing and recycling operations to keep their separation equipment performing through the rest of 2026.

Operators who want to arrange an inspection or learn more about the full range of equipment and services can find full details on the Mechani Mags website at https://africanmagnets.com/.

About Mechani Mags

Mechani Mags is a South African manufacturer of conveyor magnets and magnetic separators for tramp metal removal in the mining, processing and recycling industries. Based in Boksburg, Gauteng, the company designs and builds overband belt magnets, dry-type electro-magnets, ferrochrome magnets and lifting magnets, and supports them with repairs, upgrades, site inspections, gauss testing, compliance reporting and training. Its equipment is manufactured in South Africa and exported worldwide.

Media Contact
Mechani Mags
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +27 11 397 6870
Website: https://africanmagnets.com/