Category: Static Elimination

The NFL (USA Football) and Static Electricity: What Do They Have in Common?

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

Just this week we embarked on the dreaded end of summer task of closing our pool. While it isn’t as nice to look at once the winter cover comes on, it sure beats skimming leaves out for an hour every day when the water temperature drops below a comfortable swimming temperature. However, as an avid Cincinnati Bengals fan and love for all things football-related, this time of year also brings with it excitement and optimism as we gear up for another NFL season. Times have been rough for Bengals fans (and all Cincinnati sports for that matter), but things are looking up for us in the football world with the arrival of the newfound hope that comes with a 3-1 record.

So, what do Cincinnati Bengals football and static have in common? Both share the same seasons, fall and winter. This time of the year it is not uncommon to feel a slight shock after walking across a carpeted surface and touching a door knob. This little “jolt” is a result of fast-moving electrons leaping from your body to the door knob, or vice versa. As your feet shuffle across the surface of a rug or carpet, your body will either gain or lose electrons. Touching a conductive surface then causes these electrons to leap from one place to another.

If you notice, this happens to occur much more often during colder winter months. The reason that you experience static shocks more frequently during winter is due to the relative humidity. At colder temperatures, air does not hold as much moisture as it does when it’s warm. Even though you’re heating your house to a similar temperature, the air that is being drawn into your home and heated is still the dry cold air containing less moisture.

The amount of moisture in the air is expressed as relative humidity. This value is given as a percentage of water vapor in the air, compared to how much it could hold at that temperature. In conditions of lower relative humidity, static charges build up much easier. When the relative humidity is high, there’s a higher concentration of water molecules present in the air. These water molecules “coat” the surface of the material, allowing electrons to move more freely and form a layer over the material. This layer of water molecules acts like a lubricant, reducing the forces that cause static to generate. There are many applications that static may only pose an issue once the climate changes. 

Regardless of the nature of the application, if you’ve got a static problem, EXAIR has a solution!

To combat static electricity in your processes, EXAIR manufactures a complete line of Static Eliminators. Any of them are available to ship same day from stock to customers in the U.S. with an order placed by 2:00 ET (1:00 ET for same day shipments to Canada). We’re all tired by now of receiving the extremely long lead times for seemingly everything we try to order. That’s not the case here at EXAIR, if you need a solution and FAST give us a call!

Tyler Daniel
Application Engineer
E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

Video Blog: Eliminating Static in the Printing Industry

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

While we’re still dealing with the high humidity and heat of summer in much of the US, cooler temperatures and lower humidity is right around the corner. Your home energy bill will certainly thank you as the less humid conditions allow you to turn off your A/C. While that’s great for lowering your bills, it creates a favorable environment for the generation of static electricity.

When the relative humidity is high, there’s a higher concentration of water molecules present in the air. These water molecules “coat” the surface of the material, allowing electrons to move more freely and form a layer over the material. This layer of water molecules acts like a lubricant, reducing the forces that cause static to generate. There are many applications that static may only pose an issue once the climate changes.

Anyone who works in the printing industry is sure to be aware of the types of problems associated with static electricity. One common application for EXAIR’s Static Eliminators is the neutralization of static in sheet-feeding processes.

Check out this demonstration depicting how the Super Ion Air Knife can be used to “float” a stack of material and saturate it with static eliminating ions. The SIAK can be operated at very low pressures to prevent disturbing the process, while still maintaining the effectiveness required to neutralize any static present on the surface of your parts or material.

As we begin to approach fall and winter, make sure you’re prepared to handle any static by speaking with one of our Application Engineers. With a whole line of products designed for neutralizing static, we have a solution available to ship from stock to ensure you’re prepared this year!

Tyler Daniel
Application Engineer
E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

UL Certifications Explained

Published on by John BallLeave a comment
If a product or device carries one of these markings, it’s been evaluated for safety by top professionals in the field.

You probably walked by many items in a department store that had a UL mark, and not even noticed.   What does this mark mean?  The Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a third-party organization that verifies that products are safe for use.  They have been around for more than 100 years, and they are very important for checking the design of electrical systems.  In order to receive the UL stamp, it has to pass stringent tests for conformance and safety, and they register the items on a database for users to review.  EXAIR uses this service for our products.  EXAIR stands behind our products with the Underwriters Laboratories recognition.  I will go over the products that EXAIR manufacturers and the type of UL marks that we have. 

There are three main types of UL marks; UL Listed, UL Recognized, and UL Listed Classified. 

UL Listed:  All EXAIR Cabinet Coolers are UL Listed!  It is important to note that EXAIR was the first to ensure that your electrical panel’s NEMA rating remained when using our Cabinet Cooler Systems.  Our products underwent numerous tests and scenarios to verify that an operator will be safe during normal operations.   The tests for the Cabinet Cooler Systems included environmental exposure for the given NEMA type along with many other tests.  When you place a Cabinet Cooler onto your electrical panel, the degree of protection is not affected.  Our Cabinet Cooler Systems come in NEMA 12, NEMA 4, and NEMA 4X.  They are designed to keep the electrical components inside cool; stopping unnecessary shutdowns from excessive heat.  With the UL listed mark, the Underwriters Laboratories have deemed these products safe for operation throughout the US and Canada per their standards.  

UL Recognized:  The Gen4 Static Eliminators and Power Supplies are UL Recognized.  UL Recognition is most often seen with components, in a form of power supplies or circuit boards, that are used to power other parts. UL Recognition ensures the safety and efficiency of machinery used by operators. In other words, it certifies that a component within a larger instrument meets UL standards.  The Gen4 Power Supplies are used to generate ions with our Gen4 Static Eliminators.  These ions will remove any type of static that can cause jams, misalignment, and harmful shocks.  We offer two types of Power Supplies, a two port and a 4 port, to operate eight different styles of Static Eliminators.  And together, you can make sure that your operators are safe when using our products to remove static nuisances.    

UL Listed Classified: The UL Classified certification means that the product has been evaluated, tested and passed the test for being safe when installed within classified areas. This includes a large range of hazardous locations which according to OSHA is defined as an explosive atmosphere due to the presence of flammable gases (Class I), combustible dusts (Class II), or ignitable fibers and flyings (Class III).  Unlike the Cabinet Coolers above, the HazLoc Cabinet Cooler went through a more stringent test to operate in all classified areas.  Used with a purge system, the HazLoc Cabinet Cooler keep the electronics from faulting due to over-temp. 

Here are our registration number with UL for you to review:

Cabinet Cooler Systems:                                        E182292

Static Neutralizing Equipment:                             E138256

Hazardous Locations Cabinet Cooler Systems:     E498880

It is widely known that machines are the lifeblood of any business. Taking steps to protect your investment and your operators that use the equipment is essential for long-term success of a company.  The UL certification will give you that peace of mind.  Lastly, since UL is a third-party service, you can be confident that the UL label is a true sign of safety and longevity within electrical systems.  If you would like to discuss more about our UL listed products for removing static or cooling electronics, an Application Engineer at EXAIR will be happy to help you. 

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

EXAIR’s Gen4 Ionizing Point: Compact Static Neutralization

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

Static electricity will be more prevalent under certain environmental conditions like low humidity. It will also appear on applications which have friction, separation, or insulating materials. Luckily, EXAIR has a wide-range of Static Eliminators that are designed specifically to address static issues in a wide variety of industries and conditions. Materials such as paper, plastic, or textiles will normally contain an equal number of both positive and negative ions. When subjected to friction, this balance can be disturbed if the atoms gain or lose an electron.

The static charge will then exert a force on nearby charged objects or grounded conductors (including personnel). These issues can also manifest in the form of dust clinging to product, product clinging to itself, rollers, machine beds or frames, materials jamming, and sheet feeding problems. Our Gen4 Static Eliminators have undergone independent laboratory tests to certify that they meet the rigorous safety, health, and environmental standards of the USA, European Union and Canada that are required to attain the CE and UL marks.

EXAIR manufactures two products in our Static Eliminator line that do not require any compressed air to operate, the Ionizing Point and the Ionizing Bar. Our Gen4 Ionizing Point is a compact, single point ionizer ideal for a range of winding, rewinding, or slitting operations. It can also be mounted through a duct to neutralize static charges due to moving air or materials.

The shockless Gen4 Ionizing Point delivers a high concentration of positive and negative ions for rapid static decay. It is capable of neutralizing static on the surface of your part or material within 2”. In this image below, a series of Gen4 Ionizing Points are being used to neutralize static from a playing card slitting operation.

The Ionizing Point is just one of our many Static Eliminators available from stock. If you’re experiencing static in any of your applications or processes, EXAIR has a solution available ready to ship. Give us a call and we’ll be happy to help point you in the right direction.

Tyler Daniel
Application Engineer
E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_TD