Static electricity can cause jamming of machines, misalignment, collection of dirt and debris, and shock hazards to personnel.  EXAIR manufactures a variety of Static Eliminators to remove this common nuisance.  In this blog, I will examine our most versatile product within the Static Eliminators; the Gen4 Ion Air Jets.

The Gen4 Ion Air Jets are a modification to the EXAIR Air Jets.  The Air Jets create a high velocity air stream along an engineered Coanda profile.  This profile will create a low pressure at the entrance of the Air Jet to draw in ambient air.  This makes the Air Jet very efficient as it utilizes more ambient air than compressed air at a ratio of 5:1. Also, with the engineered design, we are able to create a laminar air stream to carry ions to the target.

The ions are generated at the exit of the Air Jet by an ionizing point.  This ionizer can create a large amount of positive and negative ions.  This allows for two things to occur.  They are able to eliminate any type of static charge, and they can establish a fast decay rate in removing the static charges.  The replaceable emitter point inside the Gen4 Ion Air Jet allows for an easy, cost-effective way to recondition the unit for years of life.

What operates the Gen4 Ion Air Jet is the power supply.  It is the “engine” behind the ion generation.  EXAIR offers two types; the model 7960 which has two output ports and the model 7961 which has four output ports.  They are very useful to operate multiple units with just one power supply.  They have a selectable input voltage to operate between 115Vac and 230Vac.  The transmission line that connects the Gen4 Power Supply to the Gen4 Ion Air Jet is our high voltage cable.  This cable has an armored coating to resist cuts and wear.  It also has an integrated ground and is electromagnetically shielded.  Together with the Gen4 Ion Air Jet, you get a compact powerful unit that can remove static quickly for spot blowing and cleaning.

Overall, the operation of the Gen4 Ion Air Jet is similar to the Gen4 Ion Air Gun; but, with the Ion Air Jet, it is mainly used for “hands-free” operations.  With a small amount of compressed air, the unit can “shoot” the ions onto a small surface up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) away.  They are very quiet, and they meet the OSHA requirements for dead-end pressure and noise allowance.  They are very easy to control with a regulator to adjust the flow from a breeze to a blast.  The design of the ionizing point is shockless and does not use any radioactive materials.  The applications would include neutralizing static and cleaning objects for three-dimensional parts, screen printing, glass lenses, shrink bands and much more.

The Gen4 Ion Air Jet is the most versatile product in our Static Eliminator line.   It can be permanently mounted or attached to a Stay Set Hose for flexible adjustments and maneuverability.  EXAIR packages the Gen4 Ion Air Jets with other products to make it easy to set-up, control, and operate.  Here are the packages that EXAIR stocks for quick delivery.

Model: 8194 – The Gen4 Ion Air Jet only.  It comes with a 5 foot (1.5 meter) armored and electromagnetically shielded cable.  They are typically used for permanent mounts with a 1/8” NPT male connection, and are generally purchased with the other packages below.

Model: 8294 – The Gen4 Ion Air Jet with a model 7960 Gen4 Power Supply.  This unit is the basic requirement for a permanent mount application.  The Gen4 Power Supply has two outputs, so it can support another Gen4 Ion Air Jet.

Model: 8494 – Gen4 Ion Air Jet Kit.  This kit includes the Gen4 Ion Air Jet, Gen4 Power Supply, a filter separator and a pressure regulator with coupling kit.  This kit allows for cleaning the compressed air before entering the Gen4 Ion Air Jet as well as controlling the air requirements.  So, you will be able to maximize the efficiency of these units.

Model: 8194-9362 – Gen4 Stay Set Ion Air Jet.  We attach the Ion Air Jet to a 12” Stay Set Hose and a magnetic base with shut-off valve.  The magnetic base will hold the Gen4 Ion Air Jet to a steel surface while the 12” Stay Set Hose gives flexibility to direct the ionized air at a specific point.  This product works great if the Ion Air Jet need to be moved into different locations.  (This does not include the Gen4 Power Supply)

Model: 8294-9362 – This is the Gen4 Stay Set Ion Air Jet (as described in the package above) with a model 7960 Gen4 Power Supply.

Model: 8494-9362 – This is the Gen4 Stay Set Ion Air Jet Kit.  Like with the standard units, this package will add a filter separator and a pressure regulator to the model 8294-9362.

Model: 8495-9362 – Gen4 Deluxe Stay Set Ion Air Jet Kit.  The Deluxe Kit includes additional items to the model 8494-9362 package.  It will include a foot pedal and 10 feet (3 meters) of a compressed air hose.  The foot pedal gives this system that “hands-free” operation to turn on/off the air flow to the Gen4 Ion Air Jet to blow air only when you need it.

Model: 8910 – Gen4 Instant Static Elimination Station.  This is a slight modification to the 8495-9362 Deluxe Kit.  The filter separator and pressure regulator are replaced with an additional 10 foot (3 meter) compressed air line.  Now you can connect from the compressed air source to the foot pedal to the magnetic base.  Once you attach the Gen4 Ion Air Jet to the supplied Gen4 Power Supply, you have a station ready to operate.

Static creates process problems, reduces productivity, and costs you money.  EXAIR manufactures a large line of Static Eliminators that can help you.  If you need a compact, low-cost ionizer to blow off and clean small targets, then the Gen4 Ion Air Jet would be a great option.  You can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR to see which package would work best for you to remove that static nuisance.

 

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb