Static Control & Web Cleaning
Improving static control on the production line
By Iain Cameron, marketing director, Meech Static Eliminators. A
s the retail sector returns to pre-covid levels, the demand for packaging and labelling is increasing, and converters are facing greater demand for high-quality packaging that is produced as quickly as possible, in large volumes. The static charge found on production lines is an ongoing problem for converters within the packaging and labelling industries. Static is typically the result of an imbalance of electrical charges on a substrate, which is generated through the friction or separation between two objects, for example, a web unwinding from a roll. When not controlled, static can attract dust and dirt, causing machinery to become damaged, compromise the quality of the end product. This includes print being out of register, small holes appearing on the substrate, and the final products appearing distorted. This leads to exceptionally high levels of waste, increased downtime, and increased costs.
At a time when converters need to be as productive as possible due to high customer demand, solutions are needed to maintain high levels of quality control. Fortunately, technology is available that can counter the threat static poses and ensure products are of the highest standard.
COMBATTING STATIC Static control devices employ high voltage AC or
‘pulsed’ DC to produce ionised air that creates a high-energy cloud of positive and negative ions to neutralise static electricity present on production equipment. This ensures that many potentially costly production problems are avoided.
Meech’s Hyperion pulsed DC ionising bars – the 971IPS, 960IPS, 929IPS, and 924IPS provide short, medium and long-distance static elimination respectively, and can be installed quickly and easily onto converter’s lines. The application being converted, the flexographic equipment being used and the speed that the line is moving are all factors in deciding which bar is most appropriate. What’s more, automation is being incorporated in to Meech’s innovations. One example is Meech’s Hyperion SmartControl, which enables the user to remotely monitor and adjust the performance of connected Hyperion equipment through a mobile phone, tablet or remote desktop. SmartControl then tracks equipment performance using Meech’s Ion Current Monitoring Technology, allowing the user to easily assess the ionising performance. It achieves this through LAN or WAN networks, which allow access to performance information at any place or time, enabling operating settings to be easily amended to ensure maximum productivity and quality of output. Remote monitoring enables operators to control, alter and adjust up to six static control devices placed
across various locations, significantly speeding up production processes and improving functionality.
WEB CLEANING
Although static control provides a highly effective solution, combining it with a web cleaner is even more powerful. Contact and non-contact web cleaning systems are available. CyCleanTM R is an example of a single or double-sided non-contact web cleaner that features positive and negative airflows that clean low-tension webs. It is ideal for wide webs, where lower tensions are common. It is compact and capable of handling high speed webs while using low levels of air consumption.
Conversely, contact cleaning systems incorporate vacuum technology or adhesive rollers. Some contact cleaning systems employ a low-friction component of the cleaning manifold, featuring a component that makes contact with the web, breaking the boundary layer and releasing the contaminants that are subsequently vacuumed away. Other contact vacuum systems incorporate brushes to free debris before vacuuming.
Systems using adhesive rollers incorporate twin elastomer rollers, such as Meech’s TakClean. This device makes contact with the full width of the web, breaking down the boundary layer and lifting contamination from the web’s surface. This debris is then transferred to a second roller with a high adhesive mass, preventing recontamination. Adhesive-roller systems perform well on small particles (down to as low as 0.5 micron), but are not designed for more demanding applications where higher levels of contamination are involved, as the adhesive rolls can quickly become tainted and would need frequent replacement.
Ultimately, static is an inevitable problem faced by convertors working in the packaging and labelling industries, so ensuring good control measures are in place is imperative. As technology continues to grow and develop, static control solutions become more advanced, reliable and future-proofed. Convertors should therefore be prepared to invest in such solutions in order to continue to produce products of a good standard and remain ahead of the curve in today’s competitive fast-paced market.
Xwww.meech.com
38
July/August 2022
www.convertermag.com
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