Static charges can be problematic in dry food packaging: they can hinder the sealing of packages or containers, and prevent them from being filled to the correct weight. Fortunately, Valence Electrons has a solution to this small but significant problem.

1. Application note
Published date: 09-10-2017 | Rev: 1A
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Static charges on dry food filling lines
Problem
In dry food packaging, the food granules to be packed are transferred from the loading tray
to moving buckets which empty into a hopper. From the hopper, the granules fall directly
into containers or packages which are then sealed.
Due to the constant transfer of the granules, static charges are generated on the conveying
buckets and/or the containers. Changes in temperature, too, contribute to the generation of
static charges.
These electrostatic charges cause the granules to stick to the surface of the buckets. Since
each container is designed to carry a specific quantity of granules, fewer granules are filled
into each plastic or glass container, leading to the containers weighing less. As the static
charges also cause the granules to stick to the surface of the container, close to the lip, the
sealing process is also hindered.
Solution
The Valstat®
antistatic bar provides an effective solution to this problem. The antistatic bar
should be installed both near the conveyor belt and near the hopper and buckets, as shown
above.