Static Problem

I don't really know what a karcher is, but, it's possible that the body of the machine is grounded, but is somehow insulated from the mixing receptacle.

Also, if you are adding you're dry ingredients first and agitating, this can build up a static charge quickly. Is it possible to start with you're wet ingredients and slowly add the dry ones? If so, this would help a lot.

Barring that, if you could premoisten your dry mix, this would also help. Maybe by misting?

I only wish that I had wet ingredients! A Karcher is a make of hoover! Both the icing sugar and the cake mix go into sachets!

Regards

Colin

Hi Colin,

After these back and forths with you and Kramarat, I still don't know what your equipment set up is. Where I come from, a Hoover is a brand of vacuum cleaner and Karcher is a brand of pressure washer!

It would probably help a lot if you could put some digital pictures of the machine and surrounding area in the next reply (see the green camera icon directly above the editor window).

I know about some solutions - antistatic cord, tinsel and others, but I need to get a handle on what you have in order to recommend.

Mike

Oops, I misunderstood. Everything is dry!

I would say finding a way to ground the bowl, (mixing recepticle), itself would be the way to go, rather than the leg of the machine.

These dry ingredients will build a charge quickly, the more direct path to ground you can provide, the better.

Is your product sifted in the process? If so, maybe use a conductive sifter material and ground that.

http://www.exair.com/en-US/Primary%20Navigation/Products/Static%20Eliminators/Pages/Selecting%20The%20Right%20Static%20Eliminator.aspx

Darn ! I can't rate your post as GA, but take it from my words.

Also, he should ground both, to avoid any potential diference between bowl and mixer.

Yahlasit

Humidify the air in the room.

I did a little more looking around.

I think it can be established that the static build up is a culmination of friction created from the movement of your dry powders.

The more discharge points that you can create down the line, the better.

I would install a primary ground line. Off of this, run multiple, (smaller), feeder straps to various points along your production line, eliminating static charge as it builds.

This should work.

A gentle flow of ionized air will solve your problem. Google Ion-gun, or ion air knife. Paint shops use them a lot to eliminate static charges.

I have a similar problem understanding your machines (Karcher and hoover) as others have.

What kind of clothing are you wearing? No, don't get me wrong, not what it looks like but what is it made of? Try to use one fabric only, like cotton or hemp. Same with your shoes.

See if that helps. It helped me but not in a bakery situation. Good luck, Ky.

Static could be generated by personnel rather than the equipment, they may require earth linked bracelets or anti-static footware.

All metal parts of the equipment large enough to store a charge should be earthed and bonded.

Karcher make vacuum cleaners as well as pressure washers, Hoover, although a brand name, has become a generic term for vacuum cleaners.

Can you run a grounding wire through the hose of the Karcher?

OP will probably need to use a stainless solid wire or strip, since he is dealing with a food product.

I gather that this is some sort of packaging equipment

possibly a grounded metal section of tubing with a plastic tip for the operators at the intake

I had worked on both vacumm & positive pressure dry ingredient transport systems, every flexible section was required to have stainless jumpers to prevent static build up

Static discharges are a safety hazard there is danger fire

Keyence (a large Japanese electronics company) have a static elimination device (using high voltage/low current so no shock); which you can also blown compressed air through. It monitors the level/polarity of static and adjusts it's output accordingly. I believe they can also supply a similar product that has it's own fan. They're not cheap, but they're a quality product. There are other companies that supply similar product (i.e. Meech). I also read somewhere that Keyence helped a car manufacturer with a static problem, where they had two opposing high voltage anti-static bars about 20m apart at high level; which illiminate the static over quite a large area.

High humidity also keeps the static down. If you can control the condition of the air in your work area, this would help alot also.

Static is a very strange beast, all the best fighting it.

I was going to suggest a Ventilation fan run in reverse. not unlike #13s submission.

Also1. someones home may be wired wrong 2. or something heavy is laying on the main wiring of the bldg someone spends alot of time in..

DSM of okc

Maybe your anti-static vacuum doesn't have the proper type of hose. Anti-static hoses are available. In cases where they are needed but not used, large potentials can build creating a fire hazard or a potentially dangerous shock. Verify that the hose/ducting is anti-static.

You do of course know that "Hoover" is a brand name and they get rather bent out of shape when you use the term for other brand vacuum devices right? Not unlike the way "Xerox" did with photocopiers.

Colinp,

Has anything changed recently (especially with regard to the environment), or has this always been a problem? Second, has the machine been the recipient of maintenance work or repairs in the recent past?

Hello Colinp, and welcome to CR4!

Unfortunatly, like others, I can not get past my cultural definitions of the terms used in your post. As such, I do not see how a...

and a are used to make icing sugar.

_{(Note: Since you are new to CR4, just a friendly advisement that our membership is from all over the world, so if posting a future topic or question, any califying inforamtion would be helpful to break the cultural slang barrier... mfg's name, part number, photos, etc. We're a really helpful bunch, and I'm sure once we're able to get a firmer grasp on your machine and process, that we would be more able to solve your problem.)}

But, even enlight of not having the faintest idea about what you're talking about … I do know that icing sugar has a high concentration of calcium phosphate and also know that calcium is a pretty good conductor of electricity.

Assuming your device in question is either part of a mixing or packaging process, you are generating the static charges during the process, and somewhere between the product and the machinery ground, there is a break in the path of current flow.

Now, admitting the fact that electricity and all it relates to is not one of my stronger areas, as a layman, I would assume your machine is being driven by an electric motor and that some current isolation is required. This isolation may prevent any static charges generated by the impeller/mixing device that is in contact with your product from reaching the grounds that you have attached to the base.

Maybe placing a grounded contact brush against the spindle driving the component that comes in contact with the product might help.

JavaHead

I'm with Ky and guest at posts #9 and 10 on this. The vacuum cleaner is designed for the job; the static charge is probably being built up on the personnel, I bet they're wearing some kind of hygienic footwear which also happens to be insulating.

On a serious note: I bet they make antistatic vacuum cleaners for the food processing industry because of the danger of explosions in food dust clouds, so it's a good idea to sort this out.

Yes they do make specific hoses & such for food grade work

all is take is to use a different hose or leave out one of the conductive jumpers to let static build up

or anti fatigue mats were added for worker comfort

Or someone to buy the cheaper drive belt which is the same size but creates a van de graaff generator?