As part of the continued improvement in their product range Master Magnets have recently re-engineered their most popular magnets to meet the ATEX requirements for Zone 22 Explosive Atmospheres, which has been met with significant approval from their customers.

Phil Tree, Sales Manager, explained further:

“Master Magnets have worked for many years with some of the UK’s top engineering companies to provide magnets for safe use within the ATEX environment, however these companies have always included the magnets within their own ATEX scope. One of the objectives in our improvement programme was to bring in-house the necessary ATEX design and documentation of some of the most popular ranges of magnets to facilitate expanding the market share of Master Magnets in these hazardous areas.”

ATEX is a European Directive for equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. Within the Directive there are different Zones depending on the likelihood of an explosive mixture to be present. For example, magnets are usually located within a Zone 22 atmosphere within a biomass application, which is classed as an area in which an explosive dust mixture is not likely to occur in normal operation and if it occurs it will exist only for a short time.

Manufacturers must ensure that their products meet essential health and safety requirements and undergo appropriate conformity procedures for the required Zone, including producing a technical dossier including drawings, hazard analysis, risk assessments and user manual in the local language. Once certified, the equipment is marked by the ‘CE’ (meaning it complies with ATEX and all other relevant directives) and ‘Ex’ symbol to identify it as approved under the ATEX directive.

Using the knowledge and experienced gained both during their recent approval for the electro-overband for use in Hazardous Areas by the Canadian Standards Authority (CSA) and over years working closely with their customer’s to provide suitable equipment, Master Magnets were able to succeed in their goal to rate their overband magnets, both electro and permanent, for use within the Zone 22 area. At the same time the simpler suspension magnets were also re-evaluated for use within the same Zone.

Phil Tree concludes:

“This advancement of ATEX rating our electro and permanent overbands and suspension magnets will mean Master Magnets can supply equipment for Explosive Atmospheres across Europe and we have had interest from several large companies already. We are also in the process of rating other magnet series and metal detectors within our product range so that we will have a full array of magnets to offer customers in the future.”