8th June 2026
Static electricity is one of those issues that manufacturing and production facilities learn to live with, until the point where they no longer can. Whether it is product sticking to machinery, dust and debris attracted to surfaces, packaging lines jamming, or in more serious cases ignition risk in environments handling flammable materials, uncontrolled static causes real operational problems. What is less widely understood is that in the majority of cases, the root cause is low humidity, and the solution is straightforward.
Static electricity occurs when electrical charge accumulates on the surface of a material. In a conductive environment, charge dissipates naturally. In a dry environment, it has nowhere to go and builds up until it discharges, either as a visible spark, a shock to an operative, or a slower bleed that nonetheless interferes with sensitive processes or equipment.
The connection to humidity is direct. Water molecules are conductive. When the air carries sufficient moisture, a thin layer of water forms on the surface of materials, providing a pathway for charge to dissipate safely and continuously. When relative humidity drops below around 40%, this dissipation mechanism weakens significantly and static problems become much more likely. Below 30% relative humidity, static charge can build to levels that cause consistent and disruptive problems on production lines.
Industries and processes where static electricity causes regular operational issues include:
Printing and paper handling, where static causes sheets to stick together, misfeeds, and ink adhesion problems. Film and plastics manufacturing, where static attracts dust and contamination to product surfaces, causing quality and appearance defects. Electronics assembly, where electrostatic discharge can damage sensitive components invisibly, leading to latent failures in finished product. Textiles, where fibres cling together or to machinery, disrupting weaving, knitting, and finishing processes. Packaging lines, where static causes film to wrap incorrectly, labels to misalign, and lightweight materials to behave unpredictably. Powder handling and pharmaceutical manufacturing, where static causes powders to clump, adhere to vessel walls, or in extreme cases create ignition risk.
In most of these environments, the static problem is seasonal. It worsens significantly in winter when cold outdoor air, which holds very little moisture, is heated indoors, reducing relative humidity to low levels even when the building feels comfortable to occupants.
Maintaining relative humidity in the 45 to 55% range is widely recognised as the most effective and economical way to control static electricity in most manufacturing and production environments. At this level, surface conductivity is sufficient to dissipate charge as fast as it accumulates, eliminating the build-up that causes problems.
The advantage of addressing static through humidity control rather than through ionisers, anti-static bars, or conductive flooring is that humidity works passively and continuously across the entire environment. There are no zones of protection, no maintenance of discharge equipment, and no reliance on operatives working within range of a specific device. Raise the humidity to the right level and static ceases to be an issue throughout the space.
For manufacturing and production environments, the method of humidification matters as much as the humidity level itself. Introducing moisture without wetting surfaces, product, or equipment is essential. This is where dry fog compressed air humidification has a clear advantage.
The Sonicom ultrasonic atomising nozzle uses compressed air at around 5 bar to generate an ultrasonic shockwave that shatters water into droplets of 10 microns or less. At this size, droplets remain fully airborne and evaporate into the air before reaching any surface. Humidity rises to the target level, static dissipates, and nothing in the facility gets wet.
The system runs on compressed air, which is already available as a standard utility in most manufacturing environments. Installation is straightforward, maintenance requirements are minimal, and the system can be zoned to target specific areas of a production line rather than humidifying an entire building indiscriminately.
For facilities that have invested in ionisers, anti-static equipment, or specialist conductive materials to manage static, it is worth considering whether those measures are treating the symptom rather than the cause. In low-humidity environments, addressing the humidity directly is often simpler, more effective, and less expensive in the long run.
If static electricity is causing problems in your facility and you would like to understand whether humidity control is the right solution, the J D UltraSonics team is happy to discuss your application.