ESD Systems - Questions And Answers

Static charges are a real problem in the printing industry. Paper picks up a charge when run through the press. When the same paper is rerun through the press, it has enough charge in the paper to make it try to stick together creating a real feed problem. Do you have any experience in this area?. - Anonymous, Houston, TX

Your problem is common in the printing industry. You are experience triboelectric generation or tribocharging. Every time a surface (material) comes in contact and separates from another surface (material) induces an imbalance of charge on both surfaces, causing the generation of an electrical static charge (electric field). Industrial ionization is one way to handle this problem. This involves using ion bars in close proximity to the web surface (0.5 to 2 inches) which floods the surface with a multitude of both negative and positive ions. This process in essence neutralizes the surface (paper) on one side only and reduces the induced charging. Use of ion bars on both sides of the paper can minimize a lot of the charging problems. Location of the ion bars should be placed after every process involving contact and separation or before every critical process where charging is a problem.

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