7 Questions About Steinert Separation Equipment (Answered by Someone Who's Made Every Mistake)

I've been handling Steinert equipment orders for about 6 years now—first as a buyer, then as an applications guy. In that time, I've personally made (and documented) 11 significant mistakes, totalling roughly $47,000 in wasted budget. Now I maintain our team's checklist to prevent others from repeating my errors.

This FAQ answers the questions I wish someone had answered for me before I started. No fluff. Just what you need to know.

1. What's the real cost of a Steinert system—not just the sticker price?

I see this all the time: a quote comes in for a Steinert ISS or Eddy Current separator, and everyone focuses on the number at the bottom. But that's not the whole picture.

From a procurement perspective, you need to ask: what's not included? Installation can run $15,000–$40,000 depending on site prep and electrical work. Conveyor tie-ins? Another $8,000–$20,000. Testing and commissioning? That's often a separate line item. I don't have hard data on industry-wide averages, but based on our 17 installations, the total all-in cost typically runs 18–25% above the quoted equipment price.

So glad I learned this early. Almost approved a budget based on just the equipment quote (which would have left us $90k short on a mid-sized project).

2. How does drift affect sorting accuracy?

Here's a concept that tripped me up badly in my first year (2019). Drift in sensor-based sorting refers to the gradual shift in detection thresholds over time—usually due to lens contamination, sensor heating, or material build-up.

On a 4-ton-per-hour line processing shredded electronics, I once ignored the weekly drift calibration. The result? Reject purity dropped from 97% to 78% over three weeks. We didn't catch it until the downstream customer complained. That error cost $2,300 in reprocessing plus a 4-day delivery delay.

This gets into sensor calibration territory, which isn't my expertise. What I can tell you from a maintenance perspective is: schedule drift checks weekly, and log them. Steinert's software (the VIS system) tracks this automatically—use it.

3. Can I really get 99% purity with a Steinert Eddy Current separator?

Short answer: yes, under controlled conditions. Real answer: it depends on your feed material.

In our practice center (the Steinert US test lab), we've hit 99.2% non-ferrous metal recovery from shredded automotive scrap in a controlled demo. But on the same material, running at full production speed with varying feed consistency, we saw 94–96% recovery. The difference? Feed preparation and consistent particle size.

I'm not a metallurgist, so I can't speak to every alloy type. What I can tell you from field experience is: don't spec a system based on best-case demo numbers. Ask for test results using your material (Steinert offers this free at their practice centers).

4. Why do some installations fail to meet expectations?

Dodged a bullet when I almost blamed the equipment for a failed installation in 2022. Turns out the issue wasn't the Steinert KSS—it was our feed conveyor. The belt speed was inconsistent, and the material spread was non-uniform. The sorter couldn't compensate for poor presentation.

Based on my 11 documented mistakes, here's the top three reasons installations underperform:

• Poor feed preparation (size variation, moisture, clumping)
• Skipping the on-site commissioning training (I learned this the hard way)
• Not budgeting for spare parts—sensor windows wear out, belts need replacement

We've caught 47 potential errors using our pre-installation checklist in the past 18 months. Most were feed-related.

5. Is Steinert's magnet technology different from competitors?

I'm not a magnet physicist (surprise, surprise—most of us aren't), so I'll stick to what I've observed.

Steinert's core advantage is their magnetic circuit design—specifically the way they arrange pole elements in their drum magnets. This affects both separation sharpness and the ability to handle fine particles (down to 0.5mm in some configurations). Their UNICORTIS technology, for example, uses a magnetic roll with alternating polarities that creates high-frequency agitation. It's particularly effective for stainless steel recovery.

I wish I had tracked performance comparisons more carefully from the start. What I can say anecdotally is: in our ferrous recovery line, switching from a standard drum magnet to a Steinert MMS significantly reduced silica contamination in the iron concentrate (dropped from 4.2% to 1.8%).

6. How long does delivery and installation take?

This varies wildly. Standard systems (like the Eddy Current separators) typically ship 8–12 weeks from order. Larger systems (like the KSS or ISS with custom conveyor configurations) can take 16–24 weeks.

But here's the thing people don't consider: the bottleneck is rarely the equipment. It's site preparation. In September 2023, I ordered a Steinert ISS with a 10-week lead time. The electrical contractor wasn't available for another 6 weeks. The system sat in its crate for a month while we scrambled. Missed our Q4 production target.

My advice: start site prep (concrete, power, compressed air) the day you place the order. Not after.

7. What's the one thing most buyers get wrong?

They underestimate the importance of after-sales support. I've made this mistake myself (which, honestly, I'm still embarrassed about).

In my first month, I negotiated a great price on a Steinert system but didn't realize the quote excluded on-site training. When the system arrived, our operators didn't know how to adjust the sensor parameters for different material streams. We were making 5 to 10% reject rate on clean material for two weeks. Training cost us $3,600 extra—but the lost production cost more.

The vendor who lists all costs upfront—even if the total looks higher—usually costs less in the end. Steinert does offer comprehensive training packages. Take them.