13 Ways to Eliminate Electrostatic

Worry-free Weighing
Forces That Disrupt Weighing

If you work in a lab, you’ve been there: You’re weighing a dose of powder
into a polymer vessel – and, much to your dismay, your balance will not
stabilize. The most likely culprit for this disappointing outcome?
Electrostatic charges – also known as static.

Dry powders are very susceptible to static and difficult to weigh.

StaticDetect™—warns the operator when the sample is charged.
What is static?
Static is accumulated electrical
charges on the surface of non-
conductive materials created by
friction. Think of being a kid and
rubbing your shoes on carpet, then
delivering a “shock” by touching a
metal doorknob or your best friend
to discharge the built-up ions.
True, you may not be shuffling
across your lab’s carpet—your lab
probably doesn’t even have carpet.
But you ARE drying beakers with
cloth, handling volumetric flasks
with disposable gloves, and un-
packing vessels from plastic bags
to fill them with loose materials.
These common lab activities cause
objects to become charged as eas-
ily as shoes on a rug.
Does static matter?
In a word, yes. But the result of
electrostatic buildup in the lab
is much less entertaining than
surprising your friend with a mild
shock. When weighing, static can
destabilize your balance and skew
results.
Because static charges are either
negative or positive, they come
with the ability to attract or repel.
Warning screen indicates the magnitude of error caused by electrostatic charge.
When a complementary charge is The most effective way to avoid the
induced in the weighing chamber, effects of electrostatic charges is to
a weighed object is either forced halt their creation.
away from or pulled towards the
weighing cell, causing the object
to appear heavier or lighter than it
is. The effect can be pronounced.
Misreads due to electrostatic effects
have been reported on a magni-
tude of a few hundred milligrams in
unusual cases.
Most often, static’s negative effects
are not quite so dramatic. But they
do tend to be more troublesome
when weighing small samples.
Especially when dosing powdered
substances, poor results can cause
Test the theory
operators to produce incorrect solu-
tion concentrations. Costly rework,
Are you wondering how much elec-
waste, and even consumer risk
trostatic charges really matter?
follow.
1. Head to your nearest
How can I tell if I’m creating static?
analytical balance.
Signs of static buildup can be sub-
tle, but operators often recognize 2. Weigh a plastic vessel.
the results of electrostatic charges 3. Grab a wool cloth and rub the
when measurement readings drift or vessel as though drying it.
are not repeatable. Sometimes there
4. Re-weigh the vessel.
is no immediate outward indica-
tion of static buildup. Nevertheless,
static is best dealt with at all times
Is your balance reading stable?
to avoid a buildup that causes con-
Did you obtain the same result?
sistently incorrect values.
Built-in ionzers are the fastest and most secure way to dissipate static. The integrated anti-static kit synchronizes the discharge process with
the opening of the balance's automated door.

Here are nine simple adjustments you can make in your

lab to keep static from damaging results.

1. Give it a rest
After you unpack lab vessels, let
them sit for a while. Get a cup of
coffee. Finish the notes from your
last experiment. (Static charges
dissipate with time.)
5. Air dry weighing vessels
Rubbing lab containers—particu-
larly with drying cloths—creates
static. If you must use a drying
cloth, allow the vessel to sit before
use (see tip #1).
9. Choose the right shoes
In stubborn cases, footwear can
add to the problem! Skip insu-
lated footwear, opting instead for
grounded shoes (or grounding
straps).

2. Add water 6. Pair like with like

Electrostatic charges occur most
often during the dry winter season
or in clean rooms where humidity is
kept low. Raising wintertime humid-
ity or setting air conditioners to a
relative humidity of 45-60 percent
in summer can help.
Small sample? Use a small tare
vessel as well. This eliminates
surface area where static can play.
Also, minimize contact between
items of dissimilar materials (i.e.
glass vessels and dry wool). Better
matches = less ion buildup.

3. Choose conductive materials 7. Create a barrier

Materials that are electrically con-
ductive dissipate static forces.
Anti-static weighing containers are
a great place to start. Metal beats
glass; glass is better than plastic.
(METTLER TOLEDO offers single-use
SmartPrep funnels for the purpose.)
4. Use a Faraday cage
A Faraday cage on the weighing
pan can help provide an electrical
screen to protect your weighed ma-
terial and results. (METTLER
TOLEDO’s ErgoClips work well.)
A light underlay (such as a cork
mat) increases the distance be-
tween the tare vessel and weighing
pan, disturbing any attractive or
repellent forces.
8. Get grounded
Ground the balance and weighing
pan. (All METTLER TOLEDO balanc-
es fitted with three-pin power plugs
are automatically grounded.)
The final four suggestions involve technological solutions
that dissipate existing buildup and protect results.
One of them might be right for your lab.
10. Anti-static pistols
These nifty contraptions offer a fast,
cheap way to dissipate static. But
beware: not all brands are effective.
Plus, pistols must be hand-held
during weighing, which can disrupt
your weighing procedures.
11. Ionization systems
Slightly more complex, these sys-
tems can typically be placed next
to any balance. As with METTLER
TOLEDO’s U Ionizer, samples are
passed through before loading to
neutralize existing charges.
12. Built-in ionizers
Fitted to the balance, built-in ion-
izers are the fastest, most secure
way to dissipate static.
With METTLER TOLEDO XPE analyt-
ical balances, integrated anti-static
Mettler-Toledo AG
CH-8606 Greifensee, Switzerland
Tel. +41-44-944 22 11
Subject to technical changes
© 08/2015 Mettler-Toledo AG
Printed in Switzerland 30283092
Global MarCom Switzerland / MA
kits synchronize the discharge That’s it for now! As we wrap up
process with the opening of the our 13 tips, remember that the
balance’s automated door. most accurate weighing occurs
without the influence of static.
13. StaticDetectTM Particularly for precision weighing,
Exclusive to METTLER TOLEDO, an eliminating or mitigating the effects
electrostatic charge detection cycle of electrostatic charges helps to
starts every time an item is placed preserve measurement accuracy
on an XPE analytical balance. If the and prevent materials loss.
item is carrying a charge, operators
choose from several possible next The future of your lab’s weighing
steps depending on preselected accuracy is up to you.
event thresholds and whether or
not the charge is affecting results.
A special note regarding deionizers:
Generally, deionizers with fans are
a poor idea, especially when work-
ing with toxic samples that risk
being agitated and going airborne.
Results can also be destabilized by
any sample loss the fan causes.
www.mt.com/lab-static
For more information