Jeff Davis, facility engineer at Mentor, had been evaluating competitive static control units. Throughout the tests, static charges were measured using a handheld meter at various times while running different materials using different types of bars, including high-speed bars and blower assisted bars. According to Davis, neither of these styles worked well. We really like the onboard diagnostics feature that shows the ion output of the bar and when to clean the bar. Applications range from digitally printed media to prime labels and durable products.
Mentor is smaller in size than the Lowell plant and is only four years old.
We achieve consistent and very thin coatings at high speeds. Dirt attracted by the electrical charge could be trapped in the coating and cause breaks in it's consistency, which could result in poor product performance, she adds. However, the static charge being generated on the material after cleaning was threatening to undo the cleaning process by attracting airborne contamination. The web runs vertically from the cleaner and then horizontally overhead into the coating unit, creating a convenient walkway through the line. Operators were experiencing static charges when walking through this walkway, so they were required to walk 120 feet around the end of the line in order to avoid it.