The use of magnets for removing ferrous contaminants in an industrial environment first began in the 1940s when Orange F. Merwin developed a flat magnetic product to help farmers trap and remove metal contaminants from their grain chutes. At the time, unwanted or "tramp" metal in the grain flow often created a spark that would ignite the explosive dust causing fires… sometimes with catastrophic results. Orange’s early version of today’s plate magnet was a huge success and led to the founding of Eriez Magnetics. After more than 60 years, Eriez remains the world’s authority in magnetic separation solutions for industry.
