How do you know if you have a static problem?

Posted on by Julianne Ouellet

Detecting static electricity promptly in industrial operations is paramount to safeguard personnel and machinery. Undetected static buildup can act as an ignition source for flammable materials, jeopardize sensitive electronic components, and disrupt material handling processes. Early detection prevents costly equipment damage and production downtimes and averts potential safety hazards, ensuring that operations run smoothly, products maintain their quality, and the overall environment remains safe for workers. As such, timely recognition and management of static electricity is a proactive strategy that can save significant resources and protect a company’s reputation.

Here are some ways to recognize a static problem in industrial settings:

  • Dust and Particle Attraction: Static charges can attract and hold onto dust, dirt, and other particles. If surfaces or products seem excessively dusty or if particles adhere to objects without an apparent reason, static might be the culprit.
  • Product Damage or Quality Issues: In processes involving plastics, textiles, or other insulating materials, static can lead to problems like material sticking together or being rejected by machinery.
  • Visual and Auditory Signs: Static electricity can sometimes cause visible sparks when a charged object or person comes into contact with a conductor. You might also hear cracking or snapping sounds.
  • Shocks and Electrostatic Discharge (ESD): If personnel are frequently experiencing minor shocks when touching metal surfaces or equipment, this is a clear indication of a static problem.
  • Equipment Malfunctions: Electronic components are particularly sensitive to static electricity. Unexpected equipment failures, malfunctions, or errors might be a result of static discharge.
  • Tools and Measurement Devices: There are tools designed to measure static electricity, like the  Statiron DZ4 Digital Field Meter from Static Clean International. This is a specialized tool from Static Clean that can detect hot spots of static in various industrial settings. It not only helps in measuring static electricity but also aids in contamination control. More information and product details can be found here.
  • Interference with Electronic Devices: Static discharges can cause glitches, reboots, or even data loss in sensitive electronic devices.
  • Issues in Fluid Processes: In operations involving the flow of liquids or powders through pipes or chutes, static electricity can lead to issues like clogging or uneven flow.
  • Safety Incidents: In environments where flammable gases or dusts are present, static electricity can cause ignitions leading to explosions or fires.
  • Issues in Printing or Coating Processes: Static can cause issues with the quality of prints or coatings, leading to defects or rejects.

Static electricity in industrial operations might seem benign, but it can be the harbinger of significant dangers. One of the most critical hazards is the potential for static electricity to serve as an ignition source for flammable gases, vapors, and dusts. When charged objects or personnel discharge to grounded entities, the resultant spark, albeit seemingly insignificant, can ignite flammable substances. Industries like petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and grain handling are particularly vulnerable. Fires or explosions risk lives and can lead to substantial damage to infrastructure, resulting in costly repairs and lengthy downtimes. These downtimes can lead to substantial production losses, particularly in operations with high-throughput processes.

Another area of concern is the impact of electrostatic discharge (ESD) on sensitive electronic components. Microelectronics, pivotal in many modern industrial processes, are exceptionally vulnerable to ESD. A sudden static discharge can compromise or completely destroy these components. The consequences aren’t merely about replacing the damaged parts. The cascading effects, like halted operations, wastage of resources, and potential compromise of products in the production line, can lead to significant financial strain. Beyond material costs, there’s the looming challenge of recalibrating processes and ensuring quality control, which in themselves are time-consuming and expensive.

Static electricity doesn’t limit its mischief to machinery. In material handling, static can cause materials such as plastics, textiles, or papers to adhere unexpectedly, resulting in clogs or jams. These disruptions can cause machinery to malfunction or stop, demanding immediate attention. The process of addressing these jams can also expose workers to potential injuries, leading to medical expenses and compensation claims. Furthermore, the fallout from static interference in industries producing consumer goods may necessitate costly product recalls, further straining financial resources and potentially tarnishing brand reputation.

Lastly, the ripple effects of static-related incidents extend to the administrative and regulatory domains. Given the perceived risk, the legal landscape can present challenges. Lawsuits stemming from static-related accidents can be protracted and expensive, not to mention the potential reputational damage they can inflict. These multifaceted challenges underscore the importance of investing in comprehensive static control measures, which, while having their associated costs, are often a fraction of the potential financial fallout from static-induced incidents.

The benefits of controlling your static include mitigating jams, clogs, mis-feeds, poor stacking, reduced transport speeds, shocks to operators, fires, explosions & a variety of contamination-related problems. Static Eliminators are designed to help you control these troublesome and costly problems by neutralizing the static electricity that cause them. The investment in quality static control equipment will help reduce costly rejects, teardown and rework while giving you an impactful return on your investment.

Quick tips to help prevent static problems in industrial settings:

  1. Grounding: Ensure that equipment and machinery are properly grounded.
  2. Humidity Control: Maintain a controlled level of humidity as dry conditions can exacerbate static problems.
  3. Anti-static Mats and Flooring: Use these in areas where static-sensitive operations take place.
  4. Ionizing Equipment: These devices release ions to neutralize static charges on surfaces.
  5. Anti-static Sprays and Coatings: These can be applied to surfaces to reduce static buildup.
  6. Static-dissipative Footwear and Clothing: Ensure workers wear appropriate attire to reduce static buildup and discharge.
  7. Regular Training: Ensure that personnel are educated about the risks and mitigation strategies related to static electricity.

 

If you suspect a static problem in your industrial setting, consider consulting with the experts at Static Clean International to conduct an assessment and provide recommendations. Call us today at (781) 229-7799

Static Eliminators – What are they & How do they work

Posted on by Julianne Ouellet

Contact and separation between two surfaces creates static electricity, which can often cause materials like paper, plastic, textiles, and other non-conductive materials to randomly attract to or repel from themselves or their surroundings. In a manufacturing environment this causes process problems which include

  • jams,
  • clogs,
  • mis-feeds,
  • poor stacking,
  • reduced transport speeds,
  • shocks to operators,
  • fires,
  • explosions,
  • and a variety of contamination related problems.

The BR1200, BR2200 & BRE2200 series are “shockless” static eliminators designed to help you control these troublesome and costly problems by neutralizing the static electricity that causes them.

Proper location and positioning of the static eliminators and power supply is essential to satisfactory performance and life of the equipment. Because each application is unique, careful thought is required to establish the best location and installation of the static eliminators.

Most of the time, the best place to install a static eliminator is immediately ahead of the problem. For example, if an operator is getting “shocked” from a rewind roll, then the static eliminator should be located so that it would be the last thing the material passes before it winds onto the roll. Another example is stacking paper at the end of a sheeter. Allowing the sheet to pass by the static eliminator last would assure a static “neutral” sheet enabling it to slide properly into place.

Metal parts in proximity to static eliminators tend to reduce their effectiveness. Whenever possible, allow two inches of free space all around the static eliminator and behind the material to be neutralized.

Unless the static eliminator is air assisted, the most effective distance between the static eliminator and the material to be static neutralized is ½ inch to 1 ½ inches. Do not place the static eliminator so that its ionizing points are facing the material when the material is against a background surface.

Static eliminators will operate efficiently above, below, or on either side of the material. Keeping the ionizing points facing downward tends to minimize contamination from falling on them.

Universal hardware is provided with the static eliminators. Use them or other metal clamping (if preferred) to secure the static eliminators to the machine frame or other suitable stationary angle or rod.

To prevent electrical shock and to assure proper operation and performance of the equipment, the static eliminators and power supply must be grounded. Metal clamps or mounting bolts tightened securely against the static eliminator’s metal housing and attached to a “grounded” metal machine frame will provide an adequate “ground”. If the static eliminators or power supply must be mounted to any non-metal surface, you must attach an external ground wire from the equipment to a suitable electrical ground.

Remember: The metal case of the static eliminators and the power supply must be electrically ground!!!

DO NOT ATTACH GROUND WIRE TO HOT WATER, STEAM, OR GAS PIPES. DO NOT REMOVE GROUND STUD FROM POWER SUPPLY OR GROUND POST FROM POWER SUPPLY LINE CORD. ALWAYS PLUG THE LINE CORD INTO A PROPERLY GROUNDED RECEPTICLE OR IF WIRING DIRECT WITHOUT THE PLUG, BE CERTAIN TO PROPERLY AND SECURELY CONNECT THE GROUND WIRE.

Mounting the Static Eliminators

Unlike the BR1200, which uses loop clamps for mounting, the BR2200/BRE2200 is conveniently slotted on the back to house weld bolts for mounting. Slide the weld bolts into and along the slot to the desired position and lock into place. Use universal extension brackets to bridge to the machine’s side frame or attach the mounting bolts to a pre-selected and prepared angle iron, rod, or brace.

Locating the Power Supply

Locate the Power Supply as close as possible to the static eliminator using its mounting plate to securely fasten the unit in place. Choose a location free of oil, water, and gross contamination. Avoid areas where ambient temperature is continuously in excess of 120 0 F.

Mount the Power Supply so that the High Voltage Output Ports are facing down or to either side to prevent entry of foreign material (FM).

Unless specified differently on the order, each static eliminator is equipped with a standard 72 inches length of high voltage cable inside a metal braid shield. This length of cable allows the installation of two static eliminators approximately 10 feet apart connected to one, centrally located power supply. If the high voltage cable is too long, you may coil it and secure it neatly out of harm’s way. Because the cable is shielded, there will be no adverse effects such as excessive flux fields or noise that can result from unshielded cable.

Installing the High Voltage Cable Connector

  1. Slide the retaining nut over the end of the cable with threads facing the cable end.
  2. Slide the spacer onto the cable.
  3. Carefully strip approximately 3/8 inch of insulation from the end of the high voltage cable exposing the conductors.
  4. Twist the conductor strands and insert all of them into the hole in the end of spring retainer.
  5. Tighten the set- screw in the retainer until the conductors are held firmly in place.
  6. Remove the dust cover from the high voltage output port and insert the cable connector.
  7. While pushing to compress the spring, thread the retaining nut into the threaded output port and finger tighten firmly.
  8. After the static eliminator and power supply have been properly installed, positioned, and grounded, plug the power supply line cord into a properly grounded 3-wire AC electrical outlet. Be sure the line voltage and frequency supplied matches that specified on the TSN70/TSN75A nameplate. Do not remove the ground prong from the line plug or use a three to two prong adapter.

Note: For convenience, you may elect to hard wire the power supply directly to the machines on and off controls.

Operation

After the static eliminators (BR1200 or BR2200/BRE2200) have been installed, they need little attention during operation. Because the ionizing points are capacitively coupled to the high voltage cable, these static eliminators are categorized as “shockless”. This means there is so little energy at the points an operator would scarcely feel a tingle if he or she accidentally touched them when powered. However, use caution whenever handling static eliminators since the ionizing points are sharp and can cause pin pricks or scratches if mishandled.

Routine Service

The BR1200 and BR2200/BRE2200 static eliminators and the TSN70/TSN75A power supply are designed to be durable, dependable, and trouble free. They require a minimal amount of maintenance. Each application and each environment, in which static control equipment is installed, is different making it difficult to state accurately how often cleaning is required.

After a period of use, a small sphere of dust will accumulate on the ionizer points. Do not allow this accumulation to continue indefinitely. Although they may continue to perform satisfactorily when they are dirty, contamination will degrade their efficiency.

Clean the ionizer points periodically with a stiff bristle brush (such as a toothbrush). A few quick swipes across the points along the length of the eliminator are usually sufficient. Do not use a brush with metal bristles since they may damage the points; scratch the plastic holding the points, and / or shed bristles, which may ultimately lead to a short circuit condition.

You may also use a compressed air blow off gun or nozzle to blow out loose dust and dirt from the static eliminators. Use caution and proper eye protection when doing so.

Be sure power to the static control equipment is off before cleaning any part of it.

Trouble shooting

The static control system is designed to neutralize static electricity, on non-conductive materials, by creating a field of positive and negative ions. When the electrostatically charged material passes through the ionized field it will attract ions of the polarity required to become “neutralized”. If static electricity is the cause of a process problem, most of the time, the problem can be controlled, if not alleviated, with the proper application and use of this type equipment. If you find that the system you have chosen does not significantly reduce or eliminate the problem after it has been properly installed proceed with the following checklist:

  • With power off, check to see that the high voltage cable connector is properly assembled and connected.
  • Does the power supplied match that specified on the nameplate?
  • Are the static eliminators and power supply adequately grounded?
  • Are the static eliminators too close or far from the material to be neutralized?
  • Are the static eliminators surrounded by metal or “shorting out”?
  • Is there “free air” surrounding the static eliminators and below the material as indicated in illustration above?
  • Has the high voltage cable been cut or otherwise damaged?

Call Static Clean® International, Inc. 877.782.8423 and speak to technical sales support for further assistance.

International Nonwoven Disposables Association Goals & Plans

Posted on by Julianne Ouellet

International Nonwoven Disposables Association Goals and Plans – 2021

Written by Dave Rousse, INDA President

Published in the January, 2021 PFFC (Paper, Film & Foil Converter) Magazine

Learn more about the role of INDA and what its goals and plans are for the future with this Q&A from Dave Rousse, INDA president:

Rousse: INDA is the trade association of the nonwoven fabrics industry formed in 1968 to advance the growth and interests of the young industry at the time after the International Nonwoven Disposables Association. In the early 1970s we supported the establishment of EDANA in Europe and welcomed durable nonwovens into the fold, but the name “INDA” had taken hold so we continue to use it without attaching meaning to the letters.  Our role now is to help our industry and our member companies be successful.  INDA helps its 370 members succeed by providing the information they need to better plan and execute their business strategies.

We provide technical training at various levels, publish market statistics and data to enhance decision-making, manage critical issues impacting market sectors, organize events that add program value and connect similar interests, and involvement and provide relevant government regulatory and legislative advocacy.

What specific services does the association provide to its members and how does the offering expand?

Rousse: INDA’s market research and trend reports are trusted around the world for their accuracy and reliability. One of the most valuable reports INDA provides is the member-only report on the North American Supply/Demand balance.  This is a full survey of industry producers, market suppliers, and producers for internal consumption. Additionally, we publish Outlook reports providing decisive five-year forecasts by industry sector. Along with a North American forecast edition and, with EDANA, INDA publishes a separate Worldwide Outlook for the Nonwovens Industry, both segmented by sectors and geography. We also produce the Global Nonwoven Wipes Industry Outlook and, with EDANA, the Global harmonized test methods and flushability guidelines to address the nonwoven R&D community and other stakeholders.

Beyond those publicly available Outlook reports and the member-only Supply report, we offer members the quarterly INDA Market Pulse, a report that provides members with an exclusive overview of the current state and direction of the North American Nonwovens industry, including economic viewpoints. The publication provides a consensus outlook of economic, energy, and end-use market forecasts.  The INDA Price Trends Summary is another INDA member benefit that provides a monthly summary of price analyses for Roll Goods, Staple Fibers, and Polymers.

What new services did INDA plan for 2020?

Rousse: INDA is always open to new partnerships to advance the industry. We recently acquired two publications to extend our reach and voice in two important areas.  We have International Filtration News to expand our reach into this important sector, and International Fiber Journal to elevate the role material science will play in developing more sustainable approaches to the single use disposables so prevalent in our industry.  With our new INDA Media, we intend to provide some thought leadership, expose new developments, relate them to the challenges going forward, and to expand INDA’s presence and service in important areas.

How do your activities reflect the dynamics of the nonwovens industry?

Rousse: As an association, we have the standing to provide industry recognition to innovations and individual service so important to our industry’s growth.  We do this through our Innovation Awards programs attached to our conferences, and our IDEA® event.  Our events foster Thought- Leadership in the sectors that we address. Our conferences are peppered with industry experts looking forward to future growth, articulating unmet needs, interpreting market signals, and presenting innovative thoughts, developmental concepts, and trends. This progressive methodology has been very important in the success of our conferences. The content is serious and the networking continues the discussions.  And we try to inject a little fun as well.

What are the sustainability programmes is INDA working on in the moment?

Rousse: Our industry recognizes the need to move from a “Linear Economy” toward a more “Circular Economy” through recycling, reclaiming and reuse.  We believe advancements in material science will be a great help in this area, and are seeing interesting new developments in bio-based polymers and polymer combinations to advance in this area.  Our drivers are an increasing concern about single use plastics and their persistence in the environment.  INDA’s conferences will continue to provide cutting edge content on this growing topic.

What are new important developments in terms of R&D and innovations in the nonwoven sector?

Rousse: The market we are in is very dynamic, so we need to be continuously alert to new demands, new unmet needs, and new ways to meet those needs.  Nonwovens are engineered materials that provide solutions to material science challenges.  There will always be new challenges to be met, and nonwovens are successful because they are a very versatile, nimble platform that is receptive to new materials, new processes, and new technologies.  Our job is to make it easy for resources to connect to facilitate the new developments and to execute well the management of the services and activities that deliver these connections.  Last year, we celebrated our 50th Anniversary as the trade association leading the world of nonwovens.  We need to stay sharp for the next 50 years.

Would you like to mention any of your specific training program that would demonstrate the benefit INDA brings to its members?

Rousse: INDA and North Carolina State University’s Nonwovens Institute offers members and professionals a jointly organized series of nonwoven short courses with The Professional Development Series of Nonwovens Courses.  Starting with the nonwovens basics, the educational content and rigor level increases to intermediate and caps off with advanced series of product development, advances in filtration and fabric property development, spunbond and meltblowing technology. INDA also offers specific product courses in Absorbent Hygiene, Filter Media Training and a WIPES Academy 2-day course. This joint venture harmonizes and unifies each organization’s separate nonwoven training courses into a single series. The series gives industry professionals targeted and flexible short course opportunities to gain knowledge in the field of nonwovens and advance their career development goals. INDA also provides on-site training for Member companies. We are able to customize a curriculum with our Members Human Resources, Engineering and Plant Management that train their employees, and suppliers about specific nonwoven applications, product components, and sectors needed for new employees or seasoned professionals across multiple departments..

What would INDA like to achieve in the near future as an organisation to promote sustainability?

Rousse: The general issue of “Plastics in the Environment” is growing in public awareness with increasing calls by non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) on producers and users to do something about it.  At the same time, there are a growing number of legislative initiatives at the state and municipal level to ban or regulate certain single use plastic items and additional activity at the Federal level, in Europe, and in other parts of the world.

As policy makers strive to responsibly advance circular economy principles that improve the disposability of single use plastic products, it is important to distinguish between the indulgence of convenience (such as sipping straws and grocery bags) and the necessity of convenience, such as in providing efficacy in personal, household and institutional hygiene.  Baby care and elderly care rely on the convenience of disposable wipes. Home hygiene as well.  Consequently, as policies are being developed on plastic materials, we encourage the determination of the appropriate balance between the benefits provided by such materials, what alternatives exist that can still deliver on consumer expectations, and the environmental costs of their use and disposal.  Nonwovens manufacturers and brand owners will be partners in this endeavour.

 

4103 Ionizing Bar - Static Clean International, Inc.

Static Control for Corona Treaters

Posted on by Julianne Ouellet

Static Control for Corona Treaters

Written by Kelly Robinson, Contributing Writer for PFFC Magazine

Published in the October, 2020 PFFC (Paper, Film & Foil Converter) Magazine

Treaters are often used before lamination to improve adhesion and before coating to improve wettability and adhesion.  (See the PDF of the Article below to see Figure 1.)

The functions of the four key components of a corona treater (See the PDF of the Article below to see Table 1 for more details.)

  1. High Voltage Electrodes
  2. Power Supply
  3. Treater Roller
  4. Ozone Exhaust

The best practice is to install powered static bar SBCT in Figure 1 on the web exiting the corona treater facing the treated surface. Corona treaters can deposit large amounts of static on treated surfaces.  This static is an unwanted by-product of treatment.  Dissipate static on the web from corona treaters using a powered static bar installed on a web exiting the corona treater facing the treated surface.

 

Article by Kelly Robinson

PFFC Contributing Writer

 

 

BRE2200 Rectangular Static Bar - Static Clean International, Inc.

Improve Efficiency on Winders, Unwinders & Slitters

Posted on by Julianne Ouellet

How to Guide: Improve Efficiency on Winders, Unwinders & Slitters

Published in the November, 2020 PFFC (Paper, Film & Foil Converter) Magazine

Contact and separation between two surfaces creates static electricity, which results in process problems and safety concerns when static reaches shock levels.  The challenge is that static electricity causes severe problems throughout winding and unwinding applications, whether running plastic, film, paper or textiles.  Both AC or DC type of anti-static ionization systems generate an electrical field, which causes the air molecules in the vicinity of the ionizer to break down into positive and negative ions. Because opposite polarities attract, any static charge material or product passing near the ionizer will attract ions of the opposite polarity until the charged material is neutralized.

But, the greatest influence over static bars performing well is “distance to target”.  Due to AC ionization requiring a static bar to be mounted within inches of a web to effectively neutralize the static charge, this can be a problem if you can’t mount the bar close enough to the moving web.

Static Clean offers cost-effective solutions to all these problems.  The all new 24vDC long range bar with its revolutionary built-in intelligence are ideal for dealing with static electricity on winders.  The 24vDC style long-range technology has been the most significant development in the static industry.  On most new converting equipment, the 24vDC static bars can operate at higher speeds and distances from 200mm to 1500mm from the web.  Bars are also available for shorter ranges.

The 24vDC static eliminators are designed to compensate for the changing geometry of the roll and provide a consistent level of static elimination by reacting to the static charge and emitting the quantity and polarity of ions to neutralize it.  The combination of long-range intelligence with intense ion generation creates static eliminators for the most demanding applications.

 

 

 

Fluid Dynamics – Laminar Flow – Turbulent Flow – Transitional Flow & Particle Reduction

Posted on by Julianne Ouellet

In physics and engineering, fluid dynamics is used to describe the flow of fluids – liquids and gases. For the sake of this discussion, it includes the subset of aerodynamics, which is the study of air and other gases in motion. Many clean room consultants chagrin at the idea of using compressed air movement inside of a clean room that was developed using Laminar Flow techniques. Laminar air flow by design is intended to be slow, smooth regular paths of an air pattern traveling from entrance to exit. The air then travels back through the pre-filters, to the laminar flow filters and back into the room as part of the air change rate per hour. Laminar air low patterns are important to keeping particulate moving out of the clean room, but what if products being process inside of the clean room are already contaminated with particles that could come from people, other items that were brought into the space or that were created by the process itself.

In order to clean particulate from a device, component or packaging material, compressed air devices are necessary. The air devices are typically in the form of ionizing air guns, blowers, nozzles or air knives. These air tools cause turbulent flow, which is fluid motion that agitates the parts and creates eddies, which are violent swirling motions caused by the position and direction of turbulent flow. Eddies can transport mass, momentum and energy across different regions of the flow, with a result being clean, static-free parts. Heat transfer also happens in turbulent flow. So why is heat important? With heat, the flow resistance decreases, making it easier to clean parts. The process of laminar flow becoming turbulent is known as laminar-turbulent transition. It is also known as transitional flow.

Is there a happy medium between using compressed air and maintain an acceptable level of laminar flow? Can we agree that compressed air is a requirement and that compressed air is turbulent? Static Clean believes in the idea of “Controlled Turbulence”. The placement of Static Clean Particle Trap® Systems, in conjunction with compressed ionizing air devices means that the turbulence is localized, particles are captured and removed from the process and the products and parts are clean. By using an ionizing air gun or similar device in front of a Particle Trap®, the debris is directed into the flow of these source capture systems and delivered into the filter media and not back into the clean room to re-contaminate cleaned parts.

Particle Size, Particle Retention & Process Practicality

Posted on by Julianne Ouellet

Particle collection efficiency by a filtration device usually brings a common question. What is the ISO number that is associated with HEPA filters used in the Static Clean Particle Trap® series products? A recent request from a customer asked this exact question. Our answer in response was that the ISO rating on our HEPA Filter is ISO 40E-99.99% at MPPS. Obviously, the customer with the questions knew what to ask and was technically astute, but to a novice it may seem confusing, so first let’s establish what MPPS mean. It is the Most Penetrating Particle Size. Larger particles are unable to avoid the special filter media in a HEPA filter and they become embedded in the filter material. The smaller particles become the MPPS, which gives the HEPA their rating. For more critical filtration needs, ULPA filters are available and could have an efficiency of 99.99995% at MPPS.

For the world of static control, and filter efficiency of the Static Clean Particle Trap® Systems, we are mostly talking about HEPA filtration. But filtration only tells a part of the story. Although you can perform tests to validate HEPA filters and modern particle counters can provide information on airborne particulate, it doesn’t tell the story on how clean a medical injection molded plastic part may be or how many particles are on a catheter or the tray or package that is going to house the medical device. Yes, there are liquid particle counters that can verify all particle sizes, but real time production of high-volume parts means that, at best a visual inspection on the fly is the standard.

Most of the Medical Device Manufacturing is done in an ISO Class 7 or ISO Class 8 cleanroom, with an emphasis on ISO Class 8. Federal Standards FS 209E and ISO 14644-1 require specific particle measurements to verify the cleanliness of the clean room or clean area. When talking about an ISO Class 8 environment, it does mean that the maximum/particles/m3 allows for almost 30,000 particles in the 5 micron or smaller range. It also means two other things as well. There will be particles greater than 5 microns in an ISO 8 space and that total reliance on a cleanroom is not the complete answer. The use of additional filtration methods at key points in the manufacturing process will improve yields by reducing particles on products and in single use packaging that may finds its way to the hospital or clinic. The fact that ionization is used to control static on medical devices, optics and industrial environments is common knowledge, but, source capturing debris at critical stages in the process is less understood but becoming more accepted as the right tool at the right time.

Particle Trap® products are small, benchtop or floor level source-capture systems, that incorporate both pre-filters and HEPA-filters in series, whereby the pre-filter catch the larger particle and the HEPA, (the same used in the clean room construction), captures the smallest debris. What this means for the customer is that particles are taken out of the room at the source and by source, either where they are created or where they can do the most harm and end up inside of a finished package. Regardless of what ionizing blow off device is used in your process, you can rely on Static Clean to make things cleaner and your customer smile.

Where do the particles go?

Posted on by Julianne Ouellet

Did you ever rub a balloon on your hair and stick it to the ceiling? The balloon sticks because you’ve created static electricity on the surface of the balloon. This energy is non-moving static charge. Every material is made up of atoms and they are the basic building blocks of ordinary matter and they can join to form molecules, which is a basic ingredient of most of the objects around us. An atom can hold a positive charge that is called a proton or a negative charge that is called an electron. Atoms with the same charge or polarity repel each other, while those with the opposite charge are attracted to each other. Just like the balloon scenario, static is created by the contact and separation of two materials. The same is true of when you walk across a carpet and touch the metal door knob and get a shock. We call these electrostatic forces, tribo-charging, which renders a plastic material in a state where it can attract dust and other particulates.

Let’s face it, we are using more plastic in our every day lives, from cars to single use medical devices that may end up inside of the human body. Plastic, being highly insulative, can store huge amounts of static electricity. If we just look at the medical device sector, one of the biggest reasons for rejects, rework and potential device failure, is from foreign particles that end up in the finished device. These particles could be in the form of airborne contaminants, plastic flash, skin flake, human hair and other debris that is found in the manufacturing process. Static eliminators in the form of ionizing air guns, nozzles and ionizing blowers are used to negate the ill effects of electrostatic forces that pull particles right out of the air and hold them to a device or components. The use of ionized air is absolutely a good practice, but the problem is “where do the particle go”? Typically, they hang around and end up on the work surface to be a source of re-contamination or the particles end up downstream on already cleaned products.

Enter the Particle Trap® 6000. The Particle Trap® 6000 (PT6000) is the solution to getting rid of particles in the assembly and packaging areas of the medical device manufacturing process. The PT6000 is a source capturing system with a HEPA filter on the exhaust. You can still use the conventional ionizing air blow-off devices, but when working in front of the opening of the PT6000, dislodged particles now are delivered through a pre-filter and then through the HEPA filter, ensuring only clean air is let back into the room. The PT6000 is used not only to clean medical components, but it is especially helpful when used at the packaging level, just prior to the heat sealing of a lid stock to the thermoformed tray. The same would be true for pouching of products such as a catheter on a die cut card being slid into a long plastic bag and then sealed at the end. Normally, most medical device manufacturers do a 100% inspection for foreign matter/particles inside of the seal trays. If a particle is discovered, the lid is ripped off, the product taken out, recleaned and then repackaged. This reject rate is also called the tear down rate, which translates into poor yields, time and money along with customer dissatisfaction, when a product gets through that is not totally cleaned.

Who would benefit from the Particle Trap® 6000? The Particle Trap® 6000 and its sister products, the PT Mini, Particle Trap® CUBE and Medical Cleaning Systems. While the medical device sector has endorsed these products, they also have application in the optics, food and electronics industries for the same reason why all companies are looking to lower their tear down rates, which translates to higher profits. If you want to learn more about how Particle Trap® products can help improve your process, please contact our technical sales team for more information.

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It’s That Shocking Time of the Year

Posted on by Jim Patterson

Ethanol; Intoxicating or Explosive?

This week, especially because it’s December and so close to the Christmas holiday, I worked on an alarming application that involved a static hazard. 100% ethanol was poured from a plastic container, which held approximately 5 gallons of the liquid, into smaller or larger containers that were also made of plastic.  Ethanol is a colorless, volatile liquid.  Most people recognize it as the ingredient in liquor, which has an intoxicating effect on most people.  However, it is also used as a solvent which can ignite under certain conditions.  Static electricity is one of the three components necessary to create an event, which is a soft way of saying an arc-over, a fire or an explosion.  The other two ingredients are oxygen and a volatile vapor.

There are well established protocols for handling and working with ingredients that can go “boom in the night”.  The front line of defense in protecting oneself from mishaps is grounding everything that is capable of being grounded. If we take a simplistic approach and look at the world as being made of only two materials, insulators and conductors, you can get a better sense of safety procedures that will keep to us out of harm’s way.  Metal is a conductor and easily grounded by clamping onto a known building ground or electrical ground or even by driving a rod deep into the earth.  Hence, we call it an earth ground. A water pipe inside of a facility can also act as a good ground source.  By grounding the metal, electrons can flow through the metal to ground itself. Conversely plastic cannot be grounded. This is why my static application hit a bump in the road. Static is generated on plastic materials through friction which we call Tribocharging.  There are a myriad of types of plastic, but for the most part, assume that all plastics are huge static generators.  Plastics are insulators and not conductive so the energy generated by simply handling plastic stays on the surface and can be a source of ignition.

Static Hazard

In my static hazard application, an ungrounded person holding the ethanol picks up an ungrounded plastic container and pours it into another ungrounded container.  This is not a good situation.  During the pouring process, a potentially explosive, volatile vapor cloud forms around the pouring action in both the dumping container and the receiving container.  There are three possible opportunities that can cause ignition in this scenario: a discharge from the ungrounded tech who is pouring the flammable ethanol; a discharge from static on the container which is high enough in proximity to the vapor cloud which forms in the discharging plastic container; a discharge from static to the same cloud that can form in the receiving plastic container.  If a static charge is present, with enough energy behind it, there is a strong chance that any of these actions can create a safety hazard.   

A Grounding Solution

Finding a solution to this problem can be a bit tricky.  The basic approach is to ground everything that can be grounded or switch to materials that can be grounded.  Simply switching from plastic containers to metal is a huge step in the right direction.  There will be times when grounding is not possible and materials cannot be changed.   In that case, ionization is the only choice.  There are approved ionizing static bars and blowers that remove or greatly reduce static electricity on plastic materials.  Static Clean and Fraser AntiStatic Techniques of England have formed a strategic alliance / partnership to address these dangerous scenarios.  When you have concerns about your facility and the safety of workers who may be in harm’s way, please reach out to Static Clean for help.   At this special time of year as with any time of year, it is important to always think “safety first”.

How Static Affects the Summer Olympics

Posted on by Jim Patterson

Achieving Peak Performance

The Summer Olympics are in full swing and the elite athletes are always trying to find ways to achieve peak performance.  Sometimes the difference between winning a gold or silver medal is decided on a tiny margin and can depend on achieving the smallest advantage. The 2016 Summer Olympics were held in Brazil and temperatures were in the mid 80’s during the day with high humidity.   Manufacturers of sporting apparel spend huge sums of money on the research and development of clothing and other products that work with the human body.  Athletic shoes have been engineered to be lighter with better foot protection, and clothing has been made to feel so minimal it’s like wearing nothing at all. The integration of Lycra® fabric is one of the most common innovations in achieving comfort, fit and performance.

How Lycra® Moves Us

Lycra® is a registered brand name for a polyurethane-based synthetic fiber that’s also called spandex or elastane. The DuPont Company® first developed Lycra® in 1958 to replace latex rubber as a stretching agent in clothing.  Lycra® is prized for its strength and durability, and is almost always mixed with either cotton or polyester.  Although Lycra® accounts for only a small percentage of the final fabric, it is key in retaining the look and feel of the other fibers. An estimated 80% of clothing sold in the United States contained spandex in 2010.  Because of its ability to mold to the body, Lycra® is ideal for use in swimwear and sportswear.  It was once thought 100% cotton was best for sportswear because of its ability to breathe.  Science has actually shown us that 100% cotton can raise body temperature, making it difficult to move at a high levels of performance.

The Buzz About Lycra®

The buzz word today is to look for clothing that will wick sweat away from an athlete’s skin.  How does this help someone towards a competitive advantage, and how does it work?  For the sake of discussion, let’s focus on swimming.   High performance athletes care more about reducing suit drag, skin friction and water absorption.  Lycra® along with other fabrics containing Lycra® offer the best performance and value.  It is actually hard to find any cotton in good swimwear these days.  Reducing drag is probably the most important factor.   As the material or a body moves, the lower the frictional impact of a material against air, wind or water, the more a body can lower its resistance.   This is very similar to static electricity when the lowest coefficient of friction will lower the static on a body or material.

Lycra® is a highly static material, but when intimate to the human body, the level of static is lowered.  That is why you see swimmers use bathing suits like Speedo® that are tight fitting.  The same can be said for those who wear tight clothes when racing bicycles.

The Static Eliminator

At Static Clean International we work with some of the world’s largest manufacturers of Lycra®, Polyester and other well accepted athletic materials.  During the weaving process of these materials, the static levels are very high and many of the defects found in these materials are due to static during the processing.  A little static cling can cause high defect rates, especially when running high speed clothing manufacturing equipment.  Our products eliminate static during the manufacturing process. However, once the finished product is on the human body, the static is collapsed by being intimate to the body and static is no longer an issue.  We have a keen understanding of how frictional forces during a race or a swim meet are reduced because the material of choice has a lower coefficient of friction that allows the clothing to have less resistance in motion.  From our position, we can feel good about the fact that we have helped those who compete by improving the quality of what they wear.