S+S metal detector helps ComfyBed win National Wood Recycling Award

ComfyBed horse bedding made by Eco Sustainable Solutions, on the edge of the New Forest, was named Product of the Year at the recent Wood Recycling Awards. Made from recycled and carefully selected whitewood chippings, ComfyBed (www.ecocomfybed.co.uk) is a healthy, environmentally friendly and economic replacement for straw and other materials used for horse bedding.

To ensure that the finished product is completely free of nails, screws and any other metallic material that could cause injury, a state of the art metal detector from S+S Inspection was installed at the end of the production line, immediately before the product is packed into plastic wrapped bales.

Before the S+S RAPID 4000 free fall metal detector was installed, the chippings were passed through a permanent magnet system to remove large pieces of ferrous materials and then through a final fail safe metal detection check after baling. This system was not totally effective, especially as a significant proportion of the baled product was found to still contain some metallic contamination and had to be debaled and reprocessed. The problem was solved when Business Development Manager, Justin Dampney, talked to S+S Inspection about the problem.

The S+S RAPID series of metal separators are designed specifically for removing metal contaminants from free falling, dry materials and the RAPID 4000 presented the ideal solution. Tests of ComfyBed samples carried out by S+S specialists confirmed that even very small pieces of metal would be detected and rejected with the minimum loss of good material.

In operation, when the two channel detection coil registers a piece of metal, the electronics control system activates the Quick-Flap mechanism at precisely the right time to divert the contaminant into the reject chute. The ejection is so precise that the metal particles are removed with minimum loss of good material without any interruption to the material flow.

With the quality assurance problem solved, Eco ComfyBed, as the new product is now called, could be marketed to racing yards and stables as a safe, dust fee and economical alternative to straw and wood shavings.

The quality of the new product was confirmed when ComfyBed was used at the 2011 Barbury Castle Horse Trials in Wiltshire and by the Metropolitan Police where the confined space of its Central London stables made the dust free quality essential to protect the health of both horses and grooms.
"ComfyBed is an ideal use for the large volume of white wood we receive for recycling", says Justin Dampney, " The effective S+S RAPID has really helped us ensure we exceed the highest standards set by our customers without compromising on operation efficiency."