In the June 2023 issue of PFFC, representatives from leading companies in the static control industry, including TAKK’s Terrance Clark, discuss how static control technologies continue to evolve to meet customer needs.
An excerpt from the article:
PFFC: Over the last few years, have you noticed any changes in the needs or demands for static control? If so, what are the trends?
Clark: There have been significant changes in the needs and demands for static electricity controls. These changes can be attributed to various factors, such as the use of evolving machinery technologies, use of advanced substrates, composites, thin films and an increasing awareness of the risks associated with static electricity.
Businesses in converting, printing, packaging industries are looking for static control technologies that can be easily and economically integrated into their existing machinery while ensuring effective, reliable static control no matter the substrate, static level, distance from or speed of the process.
Further, there are also growing concerns over workplace safety including increased awareness of the hazards associated with static electricity, including fires, explosions, personal injury or discomfort from static shocks.
Several leading-edge static control solutions with “Adaptive Intelligence” for long-range and high-speed static control have been recently introduced. This technology offers the converting industry exceptional static elimination capabilities by sensing the level of static charge and, in turn, providing the appropriate level of static elimination power to neutralize the troublesome static charge.
The demand for static control solutions continues to be driven by the challenges businesses face from the detrimental impacts of uncontrolled static electricity in terms of safety issues, product waste and stopped or slowed production resulting in loss of profit.
PFFC: Do you suggest ways for customers to track static performance in their operations? If so, in general, what instruments and procedures do you recommend?
Clark: Yes, the use of a handheld static field meter is a valuable tool that can be used to detect static electricity in paper, film and foil converting operations. These meters, also known as electrostatic field meters, measure the electrostatic charge on a material or surface. For example, the electrostatic field meters will read positive and negative charges.
In paper, film and foil converting operations, handheld field meters can be useful in identifying areas where static charges are causing issues such as defects in the final product or difficulty in handling the material. By using a handheld field meter, operators can quickly detect and quantify static charges, allowing them to make informed decisions on how to control or eliminate them.
In addition to determining location of the static controls, a handheld static meter can help determine the performance of static controls once they are installed or determine whether a particular piece of static control equipment is not working well or has failed and needs to be replaced.
Overall, handheld field meters are a useful tool for detecting static electricity in paper, film and foil converting operations. When used correctly, they can help operators identify problem areas and take appropriate action to prevent static charges from causing issues.