What’s New at
Meech International Issue 16 September 2013 www.meech.com
© Meech Static
Eliminators Ltd 2013
2 Network Point, Range Road,
Witney, OX29 0YN, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1993 706700
Fax: +44 (0) 1993 776977
Of ces in:
UK USA Belgium Hungary China
email: sales@meech.com
web: www.meech.com
Meech highlights innovative solutions with static control and web-cleaning ranges
Meech is showcasing its full web-cleaning and static control ranges at both Labelexpo and K. With a line-up
that includes the recently launched Hyperion bars, the 971IPS and 929 IPS, and the non-contact web-cleaner
CyClean the shows are the ideal podium for illustrating how its products can bene t businesses.
Web-cleaning range
The need to minimise wastage and achieve higher levels of productivity is
a key priority for label converters. Adam Battrick, Business Unit Director for
Web Cleaning, explains that, in order to achieve this goal, it is important to
capitalise on the strengths of contact and non-contact web-cleaning.
“Narrow web presses used by label converters traditionally adopt tacky
roller contact systems to ef ciently remove contamination. This method
provides excellent cleaning and is mainly used for lmic substrates,”
he says. Meech’s contact cleaning system, the TakClean (tacky roller) is employed most in the print and label
printing sectors. Tacky roller contact cleaning systems in particular use elastomer rollers to remove dry, unbonded
contamination from a moving web, which is then transferred onto adhesive roles where it is trapped. The design
of the system also allows operators to see the contamination being collected on the adhesive roll.
For other substrates such as paper or board, which typically carry higher contamination levels, the Meech
VacClean contact vacuum system is commonly used. “In the label market we are seeing a move towards interest
in non-contact systems, such as our new CyClean. This is due to non-contact cleaning giving the best of both
worlds”, explains Adam, “CyClean can be used with all substrates, improving the fl exibility of the press and it
is not affected by high contamination levels like a tacky roller system and has no consumable costs”. CyClean,
Meech’s latest non-contact web cleaning system, is capable of removing contamination to below 1 micron and
incorporates fl uid dynamic principles to deliver higher levels of cleanliness for label printing applications.
Static control range
Despite static being a common phenomenon, Business Unit Director for Static Control, David Rogers believes
that some industries may not be fully aware of the impact it can have on their business.
“As static is generated, process lines begin to mis-feed as products made
of synthetic material such as polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene
misbehave, and the opportunity for contamination of the nal product
increases dramatically,” he elaborates. “Add to this the increased potential
for serious damage and injury to operators as a consequence of electric
sparks generated within explosive environments, and the need to control
static levels becomes a fundamental aspect of the production environment.”
“Meech has long recognised the issues caused by this phenomenon,” concludes David, “which is why we aim to
provide customers with the excellent standards of static elimination they have come to expect from our brand. In
that spirit our most recent bars, the 971IPS and 929IPS, were developed as a response to customer feedback
and provide ef cient ionisation from a 24v power supply.”
Available immediately, Meech’s complete static control and web-cleaning ranges will be on display on the Meech
stand (6G112) at Labelexpo Europe, Brussels from September 24th to 27th, 2013 and on the Meech stand (Hall
11/ B60) at the K trade fair, Düsseldorf.
© Meech Static
Eliminators Ltd 2013
2 Network Point, Range Road,
Witney, OX29 0YN, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1993 706700
Fax: +44 (0) 1993 776977
Of ces in:
UK USA Belgium Hungary China
email: sales@meech.com
web: www.meech.com
Exhibitions
Meech is exhibiting at:
Don’t Let Air Blow a Hole In Your Pro ts
In these dif cult times, ef ciency, energy and the environment are closely
linked topics and ongoing concerns for virtually every business. One of
the most commonly overlooked areas for energy saving is compressed
air, a technology used in three quarters of all UK factories. About 80% of a
compressor’s (average) ten-year lifecycle costs are related to energy and this
can represent a surprisingly large proportion of a business’s energy bill.
The solution is actually straightforward. By tting a specially designed nozzle
to the open pipe normally used, it is possible to draw in ambient air so effectively that for every 1 cfm of air used
there will be an increase in output of 25 cfm of compressed air.
“Compressors are expensive to operate as they require a surprising amount of electricity to function,” says Iain
Cameron, International Product Manager at Meech International, which is one of the UK’s leading developers of
air technology. “In fact, some 10% of all electricity generated is used to compress air.”
“The size of a compressor determines its power consumption and our research has shown than equipping a
standard open pipe with a Meech nozzle will reduce electricity usage by, on average, 70%. Compressed air is
used in so many areas of manufacture, from removing waste material and dirt to drying tin cans or cooling, that it
is an integral part of most production lines. But even the humble blow gun can be responsible for making a hole in
your pro ts.”
“We’ve calculated that a standard gun, operating at 80 psi, will cost around £370 a year to run when used in
normal factory conditions. The savings made with a Meech gun would give a return on investment of about two
months and as most plants have multiple guns, the cost implications are signi cant.”
Consuming less power is obviously good for the environment, as well as for your pocket, but there are also
important health and safety advantages to moving away from traditional compressed air technology. One bene t
of the Meech Safety Nozzle is that air is not forced out of one opening, which eliminates the risk of contact with the
air line resulting in a potentially dangerous embolism. In addition, there is also a very noticeable reduction in noise
… one can almost hear the savings being made.
LabelExpo Europe
24/9/13 — 27/9/13
Stand 6G112
Brussels, Belgium
K
16/10/13 - 23/10/13
Stand 11B60
Dusseldorf, Germany
LabelExpo Asia
03/12/13 - 06/12/13
Stand C73
Shanghai, China
Pack Expo West
23/9/13 — 25/9/13
Stand S-7451
Las Vegas, USA
IPEX 2014
24/3/13 - 29/3/13
Stand S2F210
London, UK
Argenplas
16/06/14 - 20/06/14
Stand H-12
Buenos Aires, Argentina