Challenges in Meeting Sustainable Packaging Goals
As industries worldwide accelerate the shift toward sustainable, single-material packaging, driven by the new European Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD), manufacturers are facing an unexpected challenge—heightened static buildup and contamination risks in the new processes and materials being developed to meet the directives’ requirements.
MDO Technology and Its Impact on Static Energy
New technologies, such as Material Directional Orientation (MDO), optimise raw materials like polyethylene (PE) by enhancing properties such as stiffness, transparency, and heat resistance. This enables lightweighting, which reduces material usage and lowers costs associated with transport and logistics. However, the four key processes in this technology—heating, stretching, annealing, and cooling—each generate significant static charges and consequent side effects, which, if not managed or directed properly, can threaten the sustainability of the manufacturing process.
“We are seeing much higher levels of static build-up with changing new materials and processes where 8 – 10 rollers are involved. The changes in material chemistry are also likely to be a contributory factor to the significant increases in contamination being reported in production,” Ian Atkinson, Sales Director at Meech, explained.
The Need for Awareness in Static and Contamination Control
“MDO film technology is emerging as a game-changer in the pursuit of a circular economy and the ability to meet stringent targets for recyclability and waste reduction, but the awareness and appreciation of the importance of static energy management and contamination control has not kept pace with development in material technologies,” he said.
The Impact of Static in Manufacturing Processes
Static has been an issue in manufacturing since industrial processes began, and the costs in terms of safety, production efficiency, and quality are well documented. For example, a recent analysis carried out for a customer with a single ‘traditional’ 1,200mm wide press demonstrated that stoppages and loss of quality due to static build-up caused a £13,000 monthly loss in raw materials of ink and paper.
Despite this, the role of static in disrupting manufacturing and web processing is often forgotten, or only the most basic solutions are implemented. The amount of static and scale of loss in new material technology processing lines has the potential to be many times greater due to the increased complexity and operating speeds of the new technology.
Specialised Solutions for New Material Technologies
“Our research has identified that in new blown film technologies, specific, more specialised static energy management and web cleaning equipment is required at different key stages of the process to address problems that have arisen and are unique to the new processes and materials,” Atkinson said.
Dealing with Contamination Issues in New Processes
One of these new problems is the build-up of powder and flakes on the material and machinery rollers, thought to be derived from additives such as slip agents in the new materials, combined with the process technology. Machines are having to be stopped for long periods to clean the equipment. Where this stoppage doesn’t take place, print quality is being affected, and rejects due to poor quality are increasing.
Meech's Solution for Effective Static Management
Meech, a world leader in the manufacture of high-performance static management equipment and web cleaners, has developed a bespoke system specifically to address this issue. Based on their well-established VacClean solution, it incorporates the use of programmable ionisation bars, combined with turbulent vacuum air flows through highly polished low friction contact plates. It has quickly proved highly effective at removing contaminants, with bespoke systems available to meet different needs in different factories.
Conclusion: Importance of Static Energy Management
“Greater awareness of static and contamination removal early in the adoption of MDO lines will enable faster and more successful production outputs by ensuring contamination is not baked into the materials from the start of these innovative new processes,” Atkinson concluded. By integrating static energy management solutions, manufacturers can achieve more efficient, sustainable production and avoid unnecessary contamination in the manufacturing process.
