Flexographic printing lines are designed to produce flexible packaging in a wide variety of colors and finishes at high speeds. You can recognize static electricity by approaching a stack or roll, or by seeing sparks as a discharge effect. Static electricity can cause problems at numerous stages of the flexographic printing process.
Unloading the track immediately after unwinding prevents static electricity from attracting dust particles from the surroundings and causing the operator to suffer electric shocks when approaching the track.
If the material undergoes corona surface treatment and a massive static charge is generated, a discharge section (in Close Loop Feedback; CLFB) is recommended. Often, the printing area is specified as an Ex area due to the use of solvents.
Static charges on the material can act as a potential ignition source, potentially leading to a fire. Neutralization before the material touches the pressure drum is achieved using an ATEX-certified antistatic rod, e.g., the [insert example here]. Performax IQ Easy EX.
Within the printing area, the material passes over several rollers, and the static charge is regenerated. Immediately after the material is released from the central drum, it is neutralized again by ATEX-certified antistatic rods. Contamination of the ionization rods is a major problem in hazardous printing environments; therefore, the effectiveness of the ATEX-approved antistatic rods is significantly reduced. Simco IQ Manager System The system monitors the efficiency. If the efficiency falls below a predefined static value, the IQ Manager automatically warns the operator that it is time to clean the ionization bars.
After the printing area, the material recharges in the dryer. Optional anti-static rods can neutralize the static charge before the material moves to the next section.
Ionization bars are installed on the winder to neutralize the material during winding. This also prevents potential electric shocks for the operator performing the roll change. Another effect that can be prevented by discharging the material is the telescoping effect on the end roll.
Inline measurements and data recordings of static charge levels during winding can be used for quality reporting. The IQ Manager System It can be connected directly to the PLC of the flexographic printing press via a fieldbus connection. An alarm function warns the operator if the static charge reaches a dangerous level. In this way, the IQ Manager system provides all the essential information to enable fast, high-quality, and competitive flexographic printing.
Would you like to learn more about the effects of static electricity? Then please visit www.rhdgmbh.com/simco-ion or write to us Contact – (rhdgmbh.com) ! Are you interested in more case studies and concrete examples? Download our Fbook „Electrostatics in Production: Basic Knowledge and 5 Concrete Applications“ "download" to expand your knowledge!
