Business News
Meech Shows New Static Control and Cleaning Systems at Pack Expo 2010
Tuesday 14. September 2010 - Meech International has launched several products for the static control and web cleaning markets during 2010 and visitors to its booth at Pack Expo 2010, Oct 31 - Nov 3, Chicago, will be able to learn about these and other new systems that can be used to improve productivity and profits across a wide spectrum of industries, including packaging, converting, printing, plastics and pharmaceutical.
New Meech IonRinse Cleaning System
Meech says its new IonRinse system presents a major leap forward in terms of energy saving and sustainability in the field of cleaning blown containers, bottles, cans, jars and pre-forms for use in the food and beverage industries.
“The most common request we get is for systems that offer energy savings and sustainability and IonRinse has been designed to achieve exactly those aims,” says Matt Fyffe, VP/General Manager of Meech Static Eliminators USA Inc. “IonRinse provides highly effective cleaning and represents the next generation of ionized air cleaning systems, which are increasingly replacing conventional pre-fill water rinse equipment. With IonRinse, there are no costs for water, compressed air, chemicals or effluent and no need to handle water or chemical residues.”
The compact IonRinse system incorporates powerful AC ionization, a custom designed airflow distributor and high quality inline filtration. During operation the high velocity, filtered ionized air exits the IonRinse head unit via the airflow distributor and enters the container. The precisely controlled
airflow works in combination with the neutralization of static charges, which breaks any static bond holding contamination to the inner surface. The released contamination is caught immediately by the vacuum airflow and extracted to the in-line filter unit. The HEPA filtration system provides extremely effective filtration, capturing 99.99 per cent of particles at 0.3 microns.
Air volume and velocity are fully adjustable to match each application and the system can be integrated to run with the line to reduce energy requirements even further. The clear LED displays allow easy monitoring of areas such as filter condition and ionization status. The air inlet and vacuum ducts can be connected to either end of the head unit and the drop-down access panel makes maintenance particularly easy.
New Meech 977CM Pulsed DC controller
Meech has pioneered the industrial use of Pulsed DC technology for static control for more than 15 years and now has over 4,500 systems in use in the printing, packaging, converting and plastics industries. The new Meech 977CM Pulsed DC controller is the first true closed loop pulsed dc static control system, incorporating a range of features that make it easier for the user to sustain optimum performance of their static control system and extend the interval between cleaning.
“Ionizing bars are a key component of a static control system, but they become contaminated during use and have to be cleaned regularly to remain effective,” says Matt Fyffe. “Depending upon the application, this can be as often as once a week. The 977CM continuously monitors output from the bars and automatically adjusts input voltage to compensate for the adverse effects of contamination. When the level of contamination starts to reduce performance, the operator is alerted via local audible and visible warnings and remote alarm signals.”
The 977CMs sensor bar detects residual voltages on web paths and rewinds and communicates with the 977CM unit to instruct it to tune its output to ensure the best possible charge neutralization for the current operating conditions.
“Optimizing static control makes it possible to improve the quality of the finished product, whether this is on an unwind/rewind or slitting unit, a packaging line or printing press. The closed loop facility means that current information relating to the residual electrostatic charge in the material being handled is always available on the clear LCD display.
“The 977CM is extremely flexible and can be set to provide accurate neutralization of static charges regardless of any changes to the material being handled, running speeds or ambient humidity, which is vital for improving throughput in any subsequent processes,” says Matt Fyffe.
This latest addition to the Meech range is straightforward to install and can be quickly connected to existing Meech Pulsed DC static elimination systems. The easy to use keypad on the front of the unit enables the 977CM to be set up to maintain the optimum output of the ionizing equipment, while a lock facility prevents unauthorized or accidental alteration of the desired settings.