Tag: Static Measurement

Using Compressed Air in Packaging

Compressed air is safe, reliable, and used in packaging products. The compressed air systems move materials from one area of the factory to another, perform blow-off, part drying, and align products for packaging. Bakeries use compressed air for blow-off applications, while others use compressed air to clean containers before filling them with products.  Compressed air technology is also used to cut, sort, shape, and convey products, such as food, from one location to another in a factory.

Cartons are also formed, filled, and sealed using compressed air. The quality of compressed air can vary widely depending on its application. The food industry requires the highest level of safe, clean compressed air to handle and package goods. Pharmaceutical industries also require more stringent clean air than other industrial applications because they are either ingested or injected.

Clean, high-quality compressed air is required in pharmaceutical and food packaging to ensure consumer safety and prevent product contamination. It is essential to have either no contact with the product or contact using pure air to avoid product recalls, damage to brand reputation, or litigation. Pneumatic systems are recommended because there is no chance of leaking oil as in hydraulic systems.

Pneumatic systems do not pollute or release contaminants into the atmosphere, so they are especially useful for packaging food products. These systems have no moving parts, so there is less maintenance and downtime compared to other systems.

Using Compressed Air in Packaging

Clean compressed air is essential for food and pharmaceutical processing and packaging operations. Compressed air must be purified, especially when the product is consumed.  Compressed air conveyors are the best technology to ensure safe food quality. Contaminants include spores, solid particulate, vapors, and moisture. Oil is often not an issue with compressed air conveying systems, unlike hydraulic systems, which use oil as a medium.

To stop microorganisms and fungi growth, the dew points of air at line pressure must be -25 degrees Celsius (-15 degrees Fahrenheit). Standards have been developed that state very fine filtrations to prevent particulate and oil from contaminating food products.

 

How does Compressed Air Keep Products Dry and Free of Contaminants?

Equipment performance is only as good as the quality of air. Any atmospheric air contains some moisture and dirt. No matter how small the contaminants are initially, they are concentrated when the air is compressed as the air heats, its ability to hold water vapor increases. The vapor condenses into liquid when the air begins to cool as it travels downstream. Maintenance by plant operators can remove liquid, particles, and contaminants. Air dryers are installed to reduce moisture.

They lower the dewpoint of the compressed air to prevent water droplets from forming downstream. There are four types of dryers: Refrigerated, chemical, regenerative, and membrane or mechanical. Mechanical filters work with compressed air dryers to remove contaminants and water. There are three types of filters: Particulate, coalescing, and adsorption.

After the appropriate filter has been added to the conveying system to ensure that the compressed air equipment does not introduce contaminants, equipment that is used to blow off products before packaging is added, examples of this type of equipment include engineered nozzles and air knives. They conserve compressed air by using the Coandă effect to entrain surrounding air along with compressed air to create a high-flow velocity stream of air.

 

What are some things to remember when using Compressed Air Products for packaging?

If used as intended, compressed air will not generate biological, chemical, or physical hazards while packaging goods. The manufacturer is responsible for producing final products that are sanitized and free of contaminants such as oil, microorganisms, particulate or dust. Manufacturers that use the compressed-air system must carefully consider productivity and production costs against safety.

Compressed air used in packaging will often come into contact with the product. “Contact Application” is defined in the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS)/ British Retail Consortium (BRC) code of Practice for Food Grade Air code as “the process where compressed air is used as part of the production and processing including packaging and transportation of safe food production.”  This means that packaging and moving products with compressed air is a contact application.

Other examples of compressed air contacting the product include blowing off the water after washing a product and before packaging, cooling a product to increase line speed, and blowing off excess ingredients (such as sugar) before cooking. Non-Contact Application is “the process where compressed air is exhausted into the local atmosphere of the food preparation, production, processing, packaging or storage.”  Non-contact applications can be categorized into 2 additional sub-categories (high risk and low risk).

Using Compressed Air in Packaging

When designing a compressed air system for conveying, it is important to use filters and air purifiers to ensure compliance with various safety and manufacturing standards. The BCAS/BRC Code of practice recommends testing the machinery installation twice a year for contaminants such as microorganisms, particles (dirt and dust), humidity, and oil contamination. Refer to this article to learn more about the requirements in the food industry or the standards in the pharmaceutical industry.

With regards to filtration, a centralized air drying and filtration system should suffice if the pipes are relatively new in the facility. However – if the pipes are polluted or hard to clean – it is better to have both a centralized filter as well as a decentralized filter installed upstream of the point of use. New or cleaned pipes are also recommended of zinc-plated steel for food applications, V2A/V4A, compressed air-approved plastic, or aluminum.

 

How does it work?

The Packaging industry includes a wide variety of materials and products since almost every manufactured product is packaged: toys, food, soft drinks, beverages, cigarettes, cosmetics, brushes, kitchen accessories and more. All the products move down the assembly line before packaging. The packaging process consists of transportation lines made of pipes or ducts to carry a mixture of products and materials along a stream of air.

The pneumatic conveyor system consists of interconnected transition lines, hoses, cylinders, a gas compressor, standard cylinders, and gas (atmosphere). The compressor generates the air flow and transmits the material through a series of hoses. Manual or automatic solenoid valves control the air flow—a centrally located and electrically powered compressor powers cylinders, air motors, and other pneumatic devices. Pneumatic systems are controlled by a simple ON/OFF switch.

There are three conveyor systems that generate high-velocity air streams: a suction system/vacuum system, a pressure system, and a combined system.

A suction or vacuum is used to move light-free-flowing materials. The system operates at 0.5 atm below atmospheric pressure.

A positive pressure compressed air conveying system is used to push material from one point to another.  This type of conveyor operates at a pressure of 6 atm or more.

The combined suction/pressure conveying system is used to convey material from several loading points (suction) to deliver to several unloading destinations (push).

 

What are some Nex Flow products applied to packaging items?

Pneumatic systems are highly recommended when manufacturing, moving or packaging any product that will be digested or inserted in a living organism, such as food or pharmaceutical goods, since there is no chance of contamination due to burst pipes or oil leaks. Nex Flow manufactures compressed air products that help companies to package goods by supplying machines used for industrial cooling (Vortex tubes), part cleaning, drying, and blow-off, and air-operated conveying before packaging.

Nex Flow engineered air optimization design improves safety while increasing manufacturing and packaging productivity and decreasing energy costs.  The air-operated conveyor systems sold by Nex Flow can replace traditional conveyor belt systems, which have higher operational costs because they need to be regularly maintained.

Spot Cooling

Nex Flow pneumatic products provide the best spot cooling and blow-off solutions for materials before packaging.  Vortex tubes convert compressed air into very cold air for spot cooling for industrial applications. Small vortex tube-operated mini-coolers and vortex cooling can provide extremely cold temperatures for spot cooling before packaging without refrigerants, such as CFCs or HCFCs.  Vortex tubes improve factory safety and reduce noise for workers in a manufacturing environment.

Blow-Off Products

Effective, engineered blow-off products manufactured and sold by Nex flow include air knives, air amplifiers, air jets, and air nozzles. These products are another example of how Nex Flow strives to improve the safety of manufacturing and factory environments because they meet OSHA noise and pressure specifications. Among many other applications, air amplifiers are used to clean and dry parts and remove chips and part ejection.

Air knives and nozzles are used to flip open and close the tops of boxes during packaging. Air blade ionizers effectively remove static that could trap the dirt while using plastic wrap for packages.

Conveying Systems

Compressed air-operated conveying systems move materials and products at high speeds over long distances.   Ring Vac Operated conveyors, and X-Stream Hand Vac are used for conveying materials where vacuum force is required to move products over long distances at high rates. Ring Vac Air operated conveyors were originally designed to help with bending and lifting goods. The speed of conveyors depends on the density of the materials (lbs./cubic foot), horizontal distance, and vertical lift.

A Ring Vac operated conveyor is a simple, low-cost solution to other pneumatic conveying systems. They are available in several materials depending on the application. Ring Vac operated systems are made of anodized aluminum or stainless steel. 316L Stainless Steel pneumatic conveyors are used when moving food and pharmaceutical products or packaging. It is available in regular and high-temperature stainless steel for high-temperature and corrosive environments.

The X-stream® Supreme Pneumatic Conveying System (XSPC) is an air-operated conveyor that uses compressed air for an efficient and power venturi action along the length of the non-clogging design.   The compressed air system is designed to transport or vent lightweight items and raw materials for packaging at high rates over long distances.

The cost-effective systems are ideal for continuous or intermittent use since they are operated by a simple on/off switch and are controlled by a regulator.  All Nex Flow conveyor systems are simple, easy to install and use, compact, portable, and maintenance-free.

Other benefits of compressed air-operated conveying systems are also reliable since there are no moving parts and low maintenance costs.  These systems have no angles to collect contaminants such as moisture, particulate debris, or microbiological growth. They are safe for any factory environment because the system is powered by compressed air and not electricity.

Mufflers, filters, mounting systems, and static control for blowing off dust and debris from statically charged surfaces are available through Nex Flow to improve factory production and efficiency in assembly and packaging goods.

Trust Nex Flow to provide the most efficient, reliable, maintenance-free compressed air solutions for packaging your goods so that they are clean and safe for your customers.

 

Using Compressed Air in Packaging FEATURED PRODUCTS

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Static electricity is an imbalance between positive and negative charges in materials.  Most people have experienced it in everyday life whether it be with their laundry being “clingy,” making a balloon stick to a wall after rubbing it on your clothes, or when walking with socks on the carpet and getting a small shock from the doorknob. All objects are made up of atoms which have positive and negative charges, like charges repel each other (positive-positive, or negative-negative), while opposite attract each other (positive-negative).

 

Static attraction and Repulsion

Static electricity is a result of an imbalance between positive and negative charges when two objects or materials come into contact. The surface electrons (charges near the surface of the object) try to balance each other while the two surfaces are together. Let’s say there’s object A and object B. When object A and object B are touching, “A” gives up electrons and becomes more positively charged while “B” collects the extra electrons and becomes more negatively charged. When the two materials are separated, an imbalance occurs with the surface of “B” having a surplus of electrons and the surface of “A” having a shortage of electrons. These charges build up when they don’t have a direct path to the ground, and can eventually build up enough to cause a spark to a nearby grounded or less charged object in an attempt to balance the charge.  

In various industries – this can cause issues with static charge knocking out sensitive electronics near the statically charged area, cause curling in plastic web processes that can cause jamming of machinery, or charged materials attracting dirt causing cleanliness issues in packaging, coating and painting operations.  It can also be a nuisance and even a danger to personnel if being subjected constantly to static charges, especially if the charges are high.

Static charge is best eliminated just before the problem created by the plastic occurs.  For example, if the problem is dirt on a part, it is best to eliminate the static “before” the dirt is attracted to the part.  Sometimes it is not always possible to do that in which case the dust must then be removed. In such cases you can use an anti-static devices coupled with a compressed air operated air knife or air amplifier (ionizer bar in the case of an air knife and spot ionizer in the case of on amplifier). These products “ionizes” the air from the blow off units that bombard the statically charged surface with alternating positive and negative ions, which combines with the opposite charge on the surface of the part thereby eliminating the static charge.  This makes it easier to blow off the dust. Nex Flow examples would be the Air Blade Ionizer and the Ion Blaster Beam.  Normally dust can be blown off but if sticky, the force may not be enough and wiping may be necessary.  Blower systems can also blow off dust but they need much higher volume and stronger ionizing systems due to turbulence. (Compressed air systems provides laminar flow and work better with ionizers).

When the problem is not dirt, and the anti-static device can be close to the problem area, no blow off or air is needed, only the anti-static device itself.  Today the most common static removal technology is still AC technology. Normally, these static removing devices need to be very close to the part unless air is supplied which allows it to be a bit further away (and of course can also clean).    Nex Flow also has an extra powerful AC ionizer for longer distance mounting and also if the static charge is extremely high for better static elimination. There are also now DC systems which operate farther away than AC systems from the target. They are also effective in blow off and cleaning of statically charged parts.

Two measurement devices are important when trying to control static electricity. One is a voltage measuring device such as the Multicheck which indicates if there is adequate voltage at the “pins” on the ionizer which generate the static removing ions.  This will confirm if the static removal system is working. If the voltage is below the normal level it could be from either dirt buildup on the device and cleaning is necessary or there is damage somewhere in the system. The other is a static meter.  Nex Flow has a lower cost and a more accurate higher cost version depending on the needs of the particular application. The static meters measure the static charge on the part before and after application of the static removal action. This will indicate if the system works as required.

Nex Flow has many years of experience in static control and can address any application where static may be causing issues in production, safety and/or cleanliness.

Static can be a major problem in manufacturing processes involving plastic. When producing, cutting or plastic materials and other types of insulating materials, static charge can build up.  Even metals and conductive materials can have issues with dust and dirt (normally insulating materials). The issue is often because when these material has static charges, particulates like dirt will adhere to the surface of the object and become very difficult to remove.

One area of expertise for Nex Flow is the cleaning of material that may be statically charged or having to address dirt issues. Our product was recruited by a factory in Thailand for a very interesting application with plastic pipes. Despite the fact that South East Asia is a rather hot and often humid environment for much of the year, static can still build up and cause issues.

With the plastic pipe, the pipe is extruded and then cut. After cutting – small pieces of plastic waste generated from the cut “stick” to the inner walls of the pipe. The plastic cuttings stick primarily due to static charge and is therefore difficult to remove. At the time, our client was using an normal air gun which was tedious and time consuming to remove plastic scraps. Often the scraps were blown further into the pipe making it even more difficult to remove. Yet the pipe had to be cleaned on the inside prior to shipping.

Initially a Nex Flow 6” X-Stream Air Blade Ionizer – a 6” air knife attached to a static bar. This test was performed manually simply by holding the Air Blade Ionizer at one end of the pipe and blowing into the pipe towards the opposite end where the debris had built up. When the air flow from the unit was blown into one end of the pipe, despite the overall length being extremely long (several meters) the laminar flow exiting the air knife “hugged” the inside of the pipe and carried the “ionized” air flow till the opposite end where the particulate was stuck. The static eliminator bar instantly neutralized the static on the scrap that was stuck to the pipe and literally blew every single piece out that was in the path of the wide sweeping air flow. It was actually quite dramatic. The air flow covered over 50% of the inside of the pipe surface. The inside surface of the pipe is relatively smooth so the debris was not sticking due to any no other reason except static.

So while it worked in a manual test, the next step was to find a way to have this done in the production line automatically and to also have the “ionized air” cover the entire surface of the inside diameter of the piping. To meet both requirement, the Nex Flow Ion Blaster Beam was used. The device consists of a Nex Flow Model FX20 Air Amplifier that has a plastic attachment at the outlet end where “amplified” air flow exits. On this plastic attachment is an Ionizing Pin which makes an “ion cloud” that makes the air flow anti-static. This cloud of ionized air then exists the plastic attachment. The plastic is necessary because if the Pin was surrounded by metal, it will draw away too many ions through grounding, thereby weakening the ion cloud and reducing the overall effectiveness of static elimination by the time the air hits the debris at the opposite end of the pipe. The outlet air flow from the Ion Blaster Beam is conical. Just like the air knife, the air flow is laminar. Therefore when the conical air flow is blown into one end of the pipe, the flow profile of the existing air spreads and covers the entire inside diameter, then “hugs” the inside diameter covering the entire inside surface of the pipe, and continues to the end of the pipe with the plastic dust and dirt and all easily blown. The result is a pipe with the inner surface fully cleaned.

At this point one industry myth that needs to be addressed is often claims that an air knife or air amplifier can always eliminate static at distances like 20 feet (6 meters) instantly. It does not happen that way. As the ions, a mixture of positive and negative charges, travel with the air flow, some will recombine along the way. The weaker this “mixture” is, the more time it will take to reduce or eliminate static charges. If the static charge is high, or the target for removal of static is fast moving, a strong ionizing bar or pin would be needed. Nex Flow has stronger static technology available for such situations. The plastic attachment used in the Ion Blaster Beam, as well as a powerful ionizing pin, results in the speed of static elimination to be up to 30% faster than an air amplifier system that uses a metal attachment. This is significant in high speed or highly static applications. Learn more about static elimination here!

FEATURED PRODUCTS

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The Nex Flow Ion Blaster Beam comes with, so it can be easily mounted on the customer’s pipe processing machine. As the pipe is cut, it rolls in front of the Ion Blaster Beam, which is placed at the end of the pipe. Then the unit is turned on for a few seconds cleaning out the inside of the pipe. Regardless of which end it is placed, the air flow is powerful enough to remove all debris. The force can also be controlled with a pressure regulator. If the unit, for whatever reason requires more force, the air amplifier that comprises the Ion Blaster Beam has a gap controlled by a shim that can be opened to add more shims. Compressed air is conserved because it is only used for a short blast in every cleaning cycle.  Overall very little energy is needed. After the cleaning blast, the pipe is rolled out of the way and a new one replaces it then the cleaning cycle repeats.

The Ion Blaster Beam was a very simple solution to eliminated the time needed to manually clean the pipes along with significantly improving the quality. It was easily installed and requires little maintenance (occasional cleaning of the ion pin), and was able to assure that the compressed air is clean and dry with proper filtration.

Both the Nex Flow Air Blade Ionizer and the Ion Blaster Beam are excellent for cleaning statically charged parts. Not just because they have good ionized air but because of the even coverage of the surface impinged upon by the ionized air. This air knife’s continuous gap (continuous flow) is what you do not get when using perhaps rows of nozzles or drilled pipe and the conical shape of the airflow from the amplifier with an ionizing pin covers a wider area evenly. Unlike what a few small holes can accomplish placed around an ionizing pin. So for class A surfaces in particular like you get in the automotive industry, such applications are much better suited for using air amplification technology along with quality static elimination technology.