Static electricity is everywhere, from the shock you feel when touching a doorknob, to the challenges and opportunities it creates in manufacturing.
If it’s not managed correctly, static can cause disruptions, defects, and even product failure. However, static electricity can also be controlled, managed, and even leveraged to enhance certain processes.
Read on to discover 10 ways static electricity influences various manufacturing processes.
Static electricity is an asset in Automotive paint shops.
In automotive manufacturing, static electricity needs to be managed through the entire painting process.
During production, automotive bodies and parts pick up contamination from previous processes. Plastic components, which are particularly prone to static, attract even more dust and debris. If these contaminants aren’t removed before painting, they can affect the final finish.
To remedy this, an air knife system blows a powerful stream of ionised air across the surface, neutralising static electricity and clearing away unwanted particles. This ensures the parts are clean and paint-ready.
Next, the paint itself is given the ‘static treatment’. With the help of an electrostatic spray gun, paint particles are given a static charge before being sprayed onto the car body, which has the opposite charge. The result? The paint is naturally drawn to the surface, wrapping evenly around every curve and corner.
This method doesn’t just provide a neater finish, it also reduces waste. Less overspray means lower material costs and a more environmentally friendly process, while improving adhesion and overall quality.
The Printing industry depends on static for print quality.
In the printing industry, static can cause dust and particles to cling to paper sheets and disrupt the printing process.
When dust accumulates on printing surfaces, ink can adhere to the particles rather than the material itself. When the dust detaches, so does the ink, which can leave visible gaps in the final print.
In order to prevent this from happening, effective surface cleaning is key. Ionisers can be positioned above or close to the substrate to draw static charges away, reducing any dust buildup and ensuring that ink adheres evenly. This helps maintain a smooth printing process, and quality-assured results.
In Electronics, a small static discharge can cause catastrophic damage.
Every year, the electronics industry incurs significant losses due to ESD-related damage (electro-static discharge).
There are two main types of ESD failure: ‘catastrophic’ and ‘upset’. Catastrophic failure renders a component immediately useless and needing replacement. Upset failure causes malfunction and reduced performance. As electronic components, especially integrated circuits and diodes, continue to shrink in size, their sensitivity to ESD increases, making them even more vulnerable.
Without proper static control measures, manufacturers risk costly product failures, consumer dissatisfaction, not to mention a poor reputation.
However, there are effective solutions available, such as ionising nozzles and guns, which neutralise static charges. These tools are especially useful in confined areas or for targeting specific treatment zones, helping to prevent static build-up and safeguard sensitive components from damage.
In Blown-Film Extrusion, static can hinder and help.
In blown film extrusion, static electricity is ever present.
As the material moves through the production line, static charges build up. This is due to friction between the rollers and temperature fluctuations as the material cools. This static build-up can create problems such as dust attraction, which further down the line can result in product contamination. It can also cause static shocks to operators. Both of these issues need to be managed in order to prevent product defects and ensure operator safety.
To achieve this, static eliminators are installed along the production line. They work by emitting a field of positive and negative ions, which neutralises the static electricity on the production equipment and products. This helps prevent dust from sticking to the material and reduces the risk of shocks. On the final winder, long-range static eliminator bars can be installed to neutralise any remaining static during winding, so that the final rolls of material are free of static.
This process, paradoxically harnessing static to counteract static, helps to maintain the quality of the product and improve safety, resulting in a smoother production process with fewer disruptions.
Static can cause losses in the Food & Drink industry.
In the food and drink industry, static electricity poses significant challenges, especially during the filling and packing stages.
As with extrusion, material like film or paper moves over rollers and generates static charges that can attract airborne dust and contaminants. When particles land on the packaging, they can compromise seals and cause product contamination.
Seal integrity is critical in food manufacturing, as faulty seals can lead to safety risks, requiring manufacturers to discard affected products to comply with HACCP guidelines and food safety regulations. Discarded products lead to increased waste and production costs, while issues with product integrity can be incredibly damaging to a company’s reputation.
To prevent these packaging issues, surface cleaning systems and static eliminators can be installed to neutralise static charges, ensure proper seals, and reduce contamination risks.
In-Mould Labelling owes its sustainability to static electricity.
While static electricity can cause issues with certain moulding processes, it can also be harnessed to improve others. One example is In-Mould Labelling (IML), where static charges play a crucial role.
In this process, a plastic label is placed into the mould cavity, and a controlled electrostatic charge is applied to hold it firmly in place. This ensures that the label is positioned precisely, and that it doesn’t shift when molten plastic is injected. Once the plastic cools and solidifies, the label becomes an integral part of the final product.
IML is widely used in industries such as food packaging, where branding and product information need to be embedded directly into the food containers. But a key advantage of this technique lies in its contribution to sustainability. Since both the label and the container are made from the same plastic material, the final product is fully recyclable, eliminating the need for separate adhesives or additional processing.
By leveraging static electricity in a controlled way, manufacturers have created a labelling process that is more efficient, allows them to cut down on waste, and makes their product easier to recycle.
Static control improves Thermoforming.
In packaging manufacturing, controlling static electricity is essential, as static charges can lead to product contamination and defects.
This is particularly true with Thermoforming, a process in which a plastic sheet is heated until it becomes flexible enough to be shaped using a mould. Once formed, the material is cooled so that it retains its new shape before being trimmed into a finished product.
Throughout this process, as static charges accumulate, the plastic can attract contaminants such as dust and debris. If these contaminants remain on the surface of the plastic when it enters the thermoforming machine, they will become embedded into the finished product, affecting quality and appearance.
To prevent this, plastic sheets can be cleaned using an ionising air knife system, which will help to remove unwanted particles. This is another example of how implementing clever static control measures can help manufacturers maintain high and consistent product quality standards.
In Textiles, static can complicate simple folding processes.
In the textile industry, folding machines are used to handle sheets, towels, and tablecloths, many of which are now made from synthetic fibres, which are known to generate high levels of static during processing.
As these items move through narrow conveyor systems and folding stations, static electricity can cause them to cling to the conveyor belts instead of folding correctly. Items then miss the folding unit entirely, and either become automatically ejected or wrap around the rollers, disrupting the process and leading to operational downtime.
An effective solution to this issue is to install an ionising bar before the first folding station, which neutralises static charges and allows the fabric to move smoothly through the conveyor belt system without clinging.
Static control guarantees precision in Pharmaceuticals.
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, high static charges can cause a range of issues, from inaccurate weighing and contamination to products being repelled from packaging, leading to empty packages.
Static can also interfere with weighing equipment by keeping powders suspended inside their containers. If the powder doesn’t settle properly at the bottom of a bottle, the recorded weight may be inaccurate – an issue of particular concern when precise dosage is critical.
To prevent this, static elimination tools such as ionising nozzles can be used to keep static under control throughout the manufacturing and packaging processes. They will ensure that powders settle correctly, that seals are secure and that measures are accurate. This is equally important for product integrity and consumer health.
In Paper Product Manufacturing, safety and efficiency hang in the balance with static.
In paper product manufacturing, static electricity builds up as sheets of paper move through rollers, cutting machines and stacking systems. Static charges are generated through friction, and this is particularly true in environments where humidity is low. As paper is highly sensitive to moisture (which can cause it to curl or wrinkle, leading to difficulties when feeding through machinery), paper product factories tend to use climate control solutions to maintain a dry environment.
This makes paper product manufacturing especially prone to static-related issues. Excess static can cause sheets to stick together, attract dust and contaminants, or cause jams, misfeeds and handling difficulties. In extreme cases, static discharge can even pose a fire risk, especially in facilities handling fine paper dust.
To control static, ionising bars or air nozzles can be installed along production lines to neutralise electrical charges before they cause problems. Humidity control is another effective method: maintaining optimal moisture levels will help to reduce static buildup in the first place.
Static electricity plays a surprising yet significant role in shaping outcomes in many different industries. From automotive paint shops to pharmaceutical production, managing static is essential to product quality, smooth operations, and the safety of employees.
At every stage, static management systems such as ionisers, eliminators, and surface cleaners offer practical solutions to common challenges. Dive deeper into our range of static control products to find the ideal solution for your specific process needs.