May 2020

A nywhere where a controlled environment is needed in order for a production to take place Lindsey Henderson, sales director at Humidity Solutions, says people will contact the company to help solve their humidity problems – be it production problems, static problems sometimes even health problems. Production solutions Quite often manufacturers come to the company for production issues explains Lindsey. For example, she highlights how dry air in the printing industry can cause paper curl, web breaks and static build up; issues that are ever more regular in the winter months. When spooling the paper, printing presses may generate electrostatic charges, this can then mean that the pages become hard to separate. The optimum humidity for printing and paper storage conditions should be between 50-60% RH. Issues that can occur if the relative humidity is not at the correct level include: Paper can be misfed and creasing may occur, as in dry conditions moisture is drawn from the exposed surfaces of the stacks of paper. This means that tight edges can occur as the exposed edges shrink. Paper sizes can also transform and this would in turn affect how the colours line up in printing runs of two or more colour processes. Once the humidity solution has been applied the separation of sheets of paper is improved, paper curl is avoided and productivity increases. The machinery will be able to work at a higher speed as the feed will be more efficient as less paper will be rejected. She explains that humidity control is extremely important to prevent any changes in the product and prevent any issues within manufacturing wherever it may be – be it is printed circuit boards or within the food industry where the company deals with specific food products such as charcuterie. For this sector the humidity has to be controlled to prevent the process from happening to quickly and in some instances Humidity Solutions provides equipment to both humidify and dehumidify 20 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk May 2020 Insight Humidity control – a necessity not a luxury PWE spoke to Lindsey Henderson*, sales director Humidity Solutions, about the benefits of humidity control. drying and curing rooms to ensure they maintain 60 to 70% relative humidity while removing moisture from the product. Health benefits But many companies do not realise the additional benefits of humidity control for people. She explains that humidity is an important contributor to indoor air quality that can impact negatively on health and productivity of your staff. This can in turn have a big impact on absenteeism, and staff turnover. A common problem of low humidity, Lindsey explains, can result in eyes becoming itchy, and contact lens wearers finding it very uncomfortable. Therefore a good level of humidity can prevent dry eyes, sore throats and reduce the spread of air borne viruses thereby reducing sick leave and improving productivity. Lindsey says that often humidifiers are value engineered out of the comfort of the office for example because it can still be seen as a luxury. She explains that Humidity Solution is working very closely with FETA – The Federation of Environmental Trade Associations - to try and change legislation. She says there is now a lot more information in the market about indoor air quality because just to condition the air for heating and cooling isn’t actually conditioning the air: “Air conditioning can actually dry the air out and make it very unhealthy. Properly conditioned air is also humidity controlled or else we are just comfort cooling.” Lindsey further explains that there is a big drive within the industry to inform about indoor air quality: “Often with humidification and dehumidification we have to explain to people Lindsey Henderson, sales director Humidity Solutions