Negative Effects of Static Electricity wrt Thermoforming

Negative effects on what?

Operators?

Process?

Product?

Negative effects of static electricity in the thermoforming process. Sorry I missed that.

Yes, it's for blister packaging. I'm really looking for general effects. I am wanting to know if it's worth purchasing an ionizer to counteract the static electricity. Right now, I'm not too convinced it is worth following through.

Thank you,

May be worth stating what general effects you are having as it may eliminated by other methods, if you are getting static issues. And it depends if you are producing the material or simply working with a finished product and converting to another product.

In my honest opinion and having worked with this for 3M Company, I would advise it is worth having an ioniser on a process line utilising a plastic material which is renown to be static sensitive, can generate static build up and can hold a charge of up to 120kV (static charge only). It takes 7000 Volts to make a spark jump from your hand to the door handle and that is easily generated just by walking 2m. The foam styrene cup in a plastic sleeve, at the coffee machine, when pulled out of the sleeve can generate 34kV.

So do a survey for your high generation points and install an ioniser. And you don't need to use 3M Comp. Your static charge is worse on a hot dry day than on a hot damp day. Your best friend is a rainy day, not a dry day.

Not that it matters, but when you say thermoforming, what process do you mean?

I'm assuming if you are forming blister packing, it's vacuum forming, but there are numerous types of "thermoforming" processes.

Now, I can't think of a single reason that static electricity would affect any thermoforming process, but your refusal to provide any information hinders any meaningful discussion.

What voltage are you gathering on the film before setting up the machine and what voltage is being generated when running the machine? And, have you done a static survey along the process line to determine where the static is generated most?

Contact 3M Company, they used to provide surveys free and they provided ionised air blowers and bars to eliminate the static. I don't know if they still provided the product. Worth checking.

Yes ionizing air guns/bars are still available. Don't know what permits may be needed if they still rely on a radioactive element.

But, since we don't know if there really is a problem, or what that problem may be, a solution may be elusive, until OP explains if/what the problem is.

You may have hit on it if it's dust particles/bumps in the finished sheet creating cosmetic blemishes.

I never did any thin film bubble forming.

The unit is only rented to the client, The ownership is the suppliers. The bars were plutonium 210 and very small amounts encased in a resin bar or button. Replaced every year and they worked well on packaging lines, especially lines filling fine powders such as flour, cosmetics, spices, etc. Even the newsprint and paper mills used them due to static build up when the paper runs over rollers.

It was part of my work function with 3M to conduct these surveys and recommend a product and also to safely dispose of the spent units.

I spent some years working around static sensitive electronics, and more important, handling explosive detonators for missiles and bombs. (not while vac forming)

Believe me, you'll be careful if carelessness could get your hand blown off.

IQ has good points about static sensitive equipment.

My guess is that the dust attracted to a charged sheet may be a concern.

As you have found, not much is published, probably because it's not much of a problem.

If the static bothers you, get rid of it.

Good luck.