Shockingly Clean – The Static Battle
Shockingly Clean – The Static Battle
by Chris Padilla, Product Manager, Eco-Solvent MUTOH
Every printer out in the world needs electricity to run otherwise they would all just be very expensive
paperweights but what about the unwanted electricity that some of us don’t even know is being put into our machines? What do I mean you ask? Have you ever grabbed a roll or piece of material that has felt like it has made every single hair on your arm stand up? If you are like me and you have, then I’m sure you know that static is to blame for this.
Static can cause all kinds of unwanted issues on your machine such as print anomalies, importing excessive debris into the machine or even electrical failures. Keeping your machine free and clear of static can save you the headache of having those kinds of problems.
(Bottom of the print head when static is present on material)
Some helpful tips to prevent static in your work area are:
- Use static removal products to remove static off of the material before it goes into the machine. Here at Mutoh https://www.mutoh.com/ we use Staticide https://www.aclstaticide.com/ but there are many other options out there.
- Keep a controlled humidity environment where the printer is located. Less humidity in the air can cause an excess of static.
- If possible keep your machine on a hard surface floor. Carpet flooring can generate static when you are walking across it. Hard surface flooring can reduce the amount of static when walking around.
- Install an antistatic ionizing bar on your machine. Though Mutoh does not sell any antistatic ionizing bar’s, they are very effective at eliminating static and can be sourced from many manufacturers.
We should all always be on the lookout for preventative maintenance to keep our investments running. Following these simple tips can greatly reduce the risk of the side effects of static and help keep your Mutoh machine running clean and efficient for many years to come so jump on the bandwagon of keeping your equipment shockingly clean.