Tag: class 5 cleanroom

Do I need a Gen4 Ion Air Jet or Intellistat Ion Air Nozzle?

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

EXAIR has been making a comprehensive line of Static Eliminators for decades. Like any air blowing application, the first consideration in selection is the size & shape of the airflow that’s needed to get the job done. If you’re looking for a tight, focused airflow, we have four products to choose from: a Gen4 Ion Air Gun or Ion Air Jet, or an Intellistat Ion Air Gun or Ion Air Nozzle. So, the next step in selection is whether you want something operated by hand, or mounted in place:

The Ion Air Guns are just hand held & operated versions of the Ion Air Jets/Nozzles.

From there, it’s all about where you’re going to use it, and for what. First, let’s talk about the environment:

  • First off, neither of these can be used around flammable materials or gases. If you need a static eliminator for those kinds of areas, call us and we’ll provide some leads based on your specific requirements.
  • If you’re going to use it in a laboratory or cleanroom environment, the Intellistat Ion Air Nozzle is the clear choice, hands down. It has an ISO 14644-1 Class 5 Cleanroom classification. The stainless steel mounting bracket makes installation & positioning quick & easy.
  • For more industrial environments, consider the compact and rugged construction of the Gen4 Ion Air Jet. They have 1/8 NPT threads for the compressed air connection, and a 5ft cable to attach to the Power Supply. We can also provide them with Stay Set Hoses & Magnetic Bases for ease of mounting & positioning.

Then, details about the nature of the application will be considered:

  • To prevent nuisance shocks to personnel that have to handle the material, you can likely use either. The Gen4 Ion Air Jet DOES have a faster static dissipation rate: 0.18 seconds to dissipate 5,000V, but the Intellistat Ion Air Nozzle can dissipate the charge from 5,000 to 500V in 0.6 seconds. Either way, you need at least 2,000-3,000V for a noticeable ‘zap’ so if the charge is EXTREMELY high, AND you don’t have any more than a second or two, then we can make a case for the Gen4 Ion Air Jet. Otherwise, the environment is the deciding factor.
  • If you need to get the static charge to as low of a level as possible, the balanced ionized air stream from the Intellistat’s +/- 30V offset means it can reliably reduce the static charge to 100V or less, regardless of the material and where it falls on the triboelectric series. This is going to be especially important when you’re trying to prevent damage or faulty operation of sensitive electronics, for instance.
  • Some applications require not only ionized air, but a fairly strong flow of it. We did an Efficiency Lab test for a snack food maker recently where they need to blow open a plastic bag with a gusset on the bottom and set it upright on a conveyor. They also need it to remain open so they can fill it, so they need ionized air to remove static charge. The Intellistat Ion Air Nozzle blew the bag open and dissipated the static charge just fine, but it didn’t have the flow & force necessary to expand the gusset so the bag would sit upright. The Gen4 Ion Air Jet did it every time, though.

No matter what you need to remove static from, EXAIR can help. If you’d like to discuss your application and product selection, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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ISO 14644-1 Cleanroom Designations

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

The number of clean room certificates is vast.  So, ISO narrowed this range to make a common standard, called ISO 14644.  This standard shows the maximum allowable particles per unit volume by micron size that can be permitted for certain industries.  This would include pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, quality control, laboratories, cosmetics, etc.  The chart for maximum particle concentrations is located in the sub-category, ISO 14644-1.  The classification is by number for easy reference.

A clean room recirculates the air inside the room and uses filters to remove the particles.  The filters can be made from either High Efficiency Particulate Air filter media, HEPA, or Ultra Low Penetration Air filter media, ULPA, depending on the quality required.  The lower the ISO number, the more cost involved in achieving such a status.  This will include entrance and exit requirements, clean room garments, and materials of construction.  Each class is divided into ISO numbers, ranging from 1 to 9. The class identifies the maximum limit for particulate size and quantity per cubic meter of air. The chart below showcases the size and the quantity breakdown.

The EXAIR IntelliStat® Air Guns and IntelliStat® Nozzles can be used in rooms that are ISO 5 and larger.  The IntelliStat product is designed for manual or hands-free operations to remove static and to clean surfaces.  It is a great product for quality checks, PCB manufacturing, cleaning glass lenses and medical devices without sacrificing the clean room requirements. 

EXAIR does have the capability to design and create specialized products as well to suit specific clean rooms. If you would like to discuss your production environment or blow-off application within a clean room, please contact an Application Engineer.    

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

Static Solutions for Clean Rooms and Controlled Environments

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

Clean rooms and controlled environments are a critical spaces for manufacturing, testing or scientific research under conditions which require less contamination from the environment. They have a low or controlled level of pollutants such as dust, other airborne particles, or chemicals. They may also limit specific materials from even entering the room. Many clean rooms work by providing a positive pressure inside the room and filtering the air entering the room. This positive pressure pushes contaminated air out of the room and the filters clean up any air moving into the room. Many controlled environments have specifications on humidity levels, maximum values for static charges, maximum values for the size of particles allowed in the air, temperature, and what materials are prohibited to enter.

With the patented and award winning Intellistat Ion Air Gun and the NEW patented Intellistat Ion Air Nozzle, we have the perfect solution for these scenarios. These are intelligent compressed air® products that create and utilize ionized air to eliminate static and remove troublesome particulates in clean rooms and controlled environments. Using a minimal amount of compressed air, and having a precise blow off pattern, each of these products can reduce static form 5000 volts, to less than 500 in under 1 second. These Intellistat products are balanced to minimize a static charge to +/- 30V, and can be used to eliminate static on some of the most sensitive electronics.

Both of these products are rated Class 5 for Clean Rooms and controlled environments per ISO 14644-1. They are also OSHA compliant for noise and dead end pressure. Other features of both products include a 6mm air connection, and a red and green LED light to signify the ionized air is being produced.

As you can see in the opposing pictures, the differences lay in the delivery system of the Ionized Air. The Intellistat Ion Air Gun offers a short throw, fast acting, and effortless trigger so that the end user can point and shoot the static away. The Intellistat Ion Air Nozzle comes with a compact Stainless Steel adjustable mounting bracket to provide hands free operation. An easy on and off switch on the top is activated and away goes the static.

Please let me know if you have questions, or would like to put these amazing tools to work in your Clean room or other application.

Thank you for stopping by,

Brian Wages

Application Engineer

EXAIR Corporation
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