Static energy in can manufacturing

Static energy is one of the most powerful forces acting on profits inside manufacturing and packaging lines, while the application of ionised air, used to counter contamination from static, and clean or dry containers, can be one of the most effective ways to increase yields and sustainability in metal packaging and filling.

Based in Witney, Oxfordshire, Meech is a global leader in static management and contamination control. Most UK households will have had a can that has been touched by a product, from beverage cans to aerosols and food containers. Our products have been employed on production lines by multinational carbonated soft drinks manufacturers, breweries and food, cosmetics and health care providers worldwide – yet our products and the reason behind them is unknown to many people.

Static electricity builds up in manufacturing plants from the friction or triboelectric effect of materials moving against each other within a production facility. Environmental airborne particles from operators, or by-products such as a swarf from manufacturing processes, will become charged or hold a charge. These particles will be attracted to the cans in the manufacturing process as they see them as a ground reference. This can lead to product contamination, which is especially critical in industries like food, beverages or health care.

An early example of how Meech tackled and overcame statically bonded contamination was at a well-known baby milk manufacturer’s plant in Southeast Asia. The company was finding tiny elements of swarf inside its metal containers, a problem which caused high levels of product rejects.

We developed a solution using ionised air that completely solved the problem and transformed yields. Jets of ionised air, with exactly the right air flow, were directed inside the cans, removing all particles and taking the contaminated air away through an air handling unit. The system was installed across the plant and is still running today, many years later, with up-grades that mean it now incorporates smart technology which gives one-touch control and remote monitoring of all the contamination control systems operating across the plant.

Called the IonRinse, this is now the gold standard for addressing contamination caused by static in metal packaging manufacturing. It is an ‘all-in-one’ air and vacuum air system that can be easily implemented into small- or large-scale production facilities.

At the heart of the system is air technology which blows ionised air in and extracts contaminated air out through an air handling unit without the need for compressed air.

Compressed air is a highly relevant subject to mention as it can be one of the costliest elements in a metal packaging plant, accounting for up to 40 per cent of facility costs.

Metal packaging manufacturers and fillers have traditionally used water cleaning to tackle contamination. This process has many downsides because it is expensive, wastes water and requires an additional process of drying the cans with requires compressed air. Ionised air is better for the environment, less costly and takes away any additional drying processes.

Water in can manufacturing is, however, an integral and unavoidable part of the process. Drying is therefore a crucial activity to prevent problems, especially at the printing and packaging stages. Meech’s air technology has been developed to provide systems that dry cans efficiently, with minimal use of compressed air. A system we call Jet Strean allows large scale production sites to move away from costly compressed air all together.

No two production lines will be the same in how static creates contamination or how water or compressed air is used, but Meech has probably seen more than most. Given the dramatic improvements in yield and efficiency that addressing static and applying the latest air technology can make, the consideration of static management should be a no-brainer for can manufacturers.

• Alex Clinkard, strategic business accounts development manager, Meech International