Tag: electrostatic air gun

Press Release: New & Improved Static Meter from EXAIR

Published on by Tyler Daniel2 Comments

Static is one of those problems that is often invisible to the naked eye, unless it’s incredibly high and discharging to a nearby grounded surface. This is typically the exception, not the rule, so in cases where a charge cannot be seen, we have to use a tool to measure it. As the saying goes: “What gets measured, gets done”. If you don’t know the source of the static problem, or the severity, it’s often difficult to implement a proper solution. So how do we measure static?

It’s actually simple: EXAIR’s Model 7905 Static Meter is designed to take the guesswork out of the equation when evaluating static charges. It allows for an easy one-hand measurement of the static charge on the surface. This allows you to measure in numerous places in the process to evaluate the true source of the static. In most cases, the highest voltage reading will indicate the source of your static problem. Just this year, EXAIR released a brand-new Static Meter with an added LED light to help guide the user to the correct position for measurement.

The 7905 Static Meter is sensitive and responsive, indicating the surface voltage and polarity on objects up to +/- 20kV when measured at 1” from the surface. On the front face of the meter is an on/off button, zero button, and hold button. Accuracy of the meter is contingent on three critical factors:

  • The instrument must be properly zeroed
  • The distance from the front edge of the case to the target surface under examination must be 1” (25mm). Ranging LED lights help to ensure the correct distance. The meter should be guided towards the charged objects until the two LED circles are concentric on the target. This confirms a spacing of exactly 1”.
  • The target must be large relative to the measurement distance. It should be at least 5” x 5” for true accuracy.

When looking for a way to identify the source of your static woes, EXAIR’s Static Meter is an ideal fit. Since the method used to neutralize this static is also invisible, using a Static Meter in conjunction with any EXAIR Static Eliminator allows you to confirm and quantify the result of the products working as intended. To do this, simply take a measurement of the surface before and after treatment with any EXAIR Static Eliminator. After being exposed to the static neutralizing ions, the residual static charge should be neutralized and able to be confirmed on the display of the Static Meter.

Once you’ve identified the location and severity of the static, EXAIR offers a complete line of Static Eliminators that can quickly neutralize the charge and eliminate any associated problems.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

X: @EXAIR_TD

What’s So Super About Super Ion Air Wipes?

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Static charge can cause a number of problems across a range of industries:

  • Dust clinging to a product, or product clinging to itself, rollers, etc.
  • Tearing, jamming, or curling
  • Feeding of sheets in printers, slitters, or cutters
  • Nuisance shocks to operators handling statically charged materials
  • Poor print quality (voids, misalignments, etc.) and even shorted printer/print head life

EXAIR Static Eliminators have been a popular, easy, and efficient solution for all of these and more, for decades. Really, the first thing we’re going to consider when specifying the right Static Eliminator is the size and shape of the ionized airflow that’s going to be needed. For pipe, hose, tube, wire, cable, extruded or molded continuous strands…anything that needs static elimination on all sides, really…EXAIR Super Ion Air Wipes are certainly worth a look.

360° blow off AND fast, efficient static dissipation: the EXAIR Super Ion Air Wipe.
Gen4 Super Ion Air Wipe

Super Ion Air Wipes generate a uniform 360° ionized airflow to eliminate static on the surface of the above-mentioned materials. They come in two sizes: one with a 2″ inside diameter, and one with a 4″ inside diameter. The split clamp design means you don’t have to ‘thread’ the material through…you simply undo the latch on one side and fit it back around the material or part. Some of the more popular and successful applications include:

  • Removing static charge from a 1.75″ diameter continuous feed of tubing on a pultrusion line that has axial slits cut in it. The slitting created an INCREDIBLE amount of static charge, continuously as the tubing moved through the process, causing shavings to statically cling to the surface. This caused false rejects in the inspection process, which were eliminated by the use of a 4″ Super Ion Air Wipe.
  • A PVC pipe manufacturer encountered issues with the quality of text being applied on the outside wall of the pipe by an ink jet printer. On larger pipes, where the printing was applied on one side of the pipe only, they used Ion Air Jets to remove static from the immediate area of the printing. For their smaller pipes (1-1/2″ and smaller), they use 2″ Super Ion Air Wipes to remove the static from the entire perimetry of the pipe. Print quality ceased to be a problem.
  • A wire manufacturer uses an encoder to measure & calculate wire lengths, so they’d know how much wire was going onto a spindle. The encoder wheel’s fabric coating and the wire’s nylon coating caused a static charge high enough to generate enough voltage to damage the encoder – they actually saw SPARKS coming off the wheel. A 2″ Super Ion Air Wipe removed the static from the entire area around the encoder.
  • A bottled water plant applied tamper-proof seals to the top of the bottles once they were filled & capped. In addition to putting consumers at ease that their drink had not been tampered with, it also kept the top of the bottle (which most people’s lips touch) clean & germ-free. Static charge on the seal material caused improper application, sometimes not even covering the whole cap.
By passing the seal material through a 4″ Super Ion Air Wipe, they went from a 30% rejection rate (due to the improperly applied seal) to ZERO defects.

They’re also incredibly quiet (77dBA for the 2″; 81dBA for the 4″) and provide low-cost operation, consuming just 29.5 SCFM (2″) & 50.2 SCFM (4″) @80psig, considering they can eliminate a 5kV charge in one fifth of a second. Oh…they’re also in stock, available for same day shipment, and if you order before March 31st, we’ll even throw in a FREE AC Sensor with any Static Eliminator Product purchase.

So – what’s “super” about our Super Ion Air Wipes? I think the better question is, what’s NOT? If you have problems with static charge, EXAIR has solutions. Give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Check This Out- Gen4 Ion Air Jet Static Elimination

Published on by jasonkirbyLeave a comment

EXAIR’s Gen4 Ion Air Jet produces a targeted airflow that effectively addresses specific areas while leaving surrounding regions undisturbed. This quiet and concentrated airstream offers remarkably rapid static decay rates and exceptional cleaning capabilities. The Gen4 ion Air Jet is perfect for removing static, along with dust particles from surfaces prone to static charge, such as shrink wrapping, packaging, printing, painting, or finishing.

The Gen4 Ion Air Jet generates surrounding airflow at a ratio of 5 to 1, effectively reducing compressed air consumption while enhancing ionized airflow. The force can be modified from low to high. The compact Gen4 Ion Air Jet is the optimal selection for permanent mount applications due to its lightweight design and straightforward installation with a 1/8 NPT male inlet.

In contrast, the flexible Gen4 Stay Set Ion Air Jet is best suited for applications that necessitate frequent repositioning. This model can be positioned nearby, allowing the hose to be adjusted to direct the ionized airstream at a specific area. Due to the hose’s “memory” feature, it maintains its shape and direction, ensuring consistent targeting until it is manually re-positioned. The Gen4 Stay Set Ion Air Jet features a magnetic base that facilitates effortless attachment and mobility on machines, benches, or various surfaces. Additionally, a shutoff valve integrated into the base offers precise control over both force and flow.

Ion Air Jet on a Stay set hose.

If you would like to discuss the Gen4 Ion Air Jet, or any of the static eliminating products by EXAIR, please do not hesitate to contact an Application Engineer. We are always happy to help!

Jason Kirby
Application Engineer
Email: jasonkirby@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jk

EXAIR’s Varistat Benchtop Ionizer

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

EXAIR has a wide array of Static Elimination products. The vast majority combine compressed air blowoff with ionization technology to convey the ions to the surface, and eliminate static. This shouldn’t surprise you as EXAIR is a leader in manufacturing quiet and efficient compressed air products, and has been for over 40 years. What may be surprising, is that we have a non-compressed air option in our static elimination product line. Our Varistat Benchtop Ionizer is a blower-style static eliminator.

The Varistat is capable of reducing 1000 volts to 100 volts in 0.8 seconds. With the use of fans, as opposed to compressed air, the Varistat supplies a constant stream of ion-balancing airflow to keep products static-free and particulate-free with hands-free operation. It is engineered to fit various industrial applications and unique processes by offering customizable options such as an adjustable stand for mounting, selectable voltage, variable fan speed and adjustable polarity.

The adjustable polarity is a unique feature in our Static Eliminators product offering; the Varistat is our first and (currently) only product that can do this. You can manually adjust the polarity through the use of an intuitive selector with LED display. This enables you to achieve a result of less than 10V of charge.

As with all EXAIR products, the Varistat is OSHA compliant, meeting all pressure requirements, as well as being safe and quiet – producing only 67dBA!

The Varistat is great for eliminating static on workbenches, part assembly, web cleaning and more. If you would like to discuss your static application, don’t hesitate to give us a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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