Tag: intellistat Ion Air Gun

EXAIR Ion Air Gun in Photo Printing Industry

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

In the high-precision world of photo printing, even tiny specks of dust or static can ruin a perfect print. From professional labs to industrial photography printers, quality and consistency are everything. That’s where the EXAIR Ion Air Gun steps in, a tool that’s quietly revolutionizing how photo printers manage static charges, clean surfaces, and ensure flawless prints.

While it might be a “perfect” application for a Super Ion Air Knife, the Ion Air Gun works better if the product is stationary.

The Challenge: Static and Contamination in Photo Printing

Photo printing — whether inkjet, laser, or large-format — is highly sensitive to the environment. Two of the biggest issues that professionals face are:

Static electricity: As paper moves rapidly through printers, it can accumulate static. This attracts dust, causes paper jams, and leads to print defects.


Particulate contamination: Even microscopic dust or fiber can show up as marks, dots, or streaks on glossy prints.

Traditional air blowers or manual wiping often redistribute dust rather than removing it — and they do nothing to neutralize static charge.

The EXAIR Ion Air Gun is engineered to solve both static and contamination problems in one tool. Here’s how it stands out:

Active Static Neutralization

The gun emits a stream of positive and negative ions that neutralizes static charges on surfaces instantly. This helps:

  • Reduce paper jams
  • Prevent dust attraction
  • Improve media handling through print engines

By eliminating static, prints come out cleaner and production runs flow more smoothly.

Ionized Clean Air Blast

Instead of just pushing air around, the ion air gun combines ionization with a strong, focused airflow. This:

  • Removes dust and debris from paper or film
  • Prepares surfaces before printing
  • Cleans out nooks and crannies where particles hide

The result? Cleaner prints with fewer re-runs and less waste.

In the competitive world of photo printing, attention to detail defines success. The EXAIR Ion Air Gun offers a practical, effective solution to two persistent problems — static and contamination. Whether you’re running small-batch professional prints or large industrial photo runs, it can help ensure every print meets the highest standard.

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer / Sales Operations Engineer

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Press Release – New 230-Volt Varistat Benchtop Ionizer Removes Static at a Distance

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

EXAIR has decided to open up our product line for areas that do not have or wish not to use compressed air.  This award-winning EXAIR Varistat® Benchtop Ionizer is a powerful fan-driven static eliminator engineered to neutralize static charges on surfaces in demanding industrial environments. This Ionizer delivers a consistent stream of ionized airflow, effectively eliminating static and particulate without the need for compressed air. The Varistat is now available in 230 volts to meet the needs of industrial locations. Easily mounted on bench tops or machines, this static eliminator is manually adjustable and perfect for processes needing comprehensive coverage.

            The new 230-volt Varistat sets itself apart from other fan-driven static eliminators by offering highly adjustable features and allowing for versatility. Features like selectable voltage 115VAC/230VAC, variable fan speed, and adjustable polarity make the Varistat a complete solution for eliminating static in a variety of processes and facilities. Once plugged in, the Varistat provides rapid static decay capable of reducing 1000V to 100V in 0.8 seconds. This product features two replaceable ion emitter points and two 30 PPI foam filters to ensure optimal performance over extended periods, as well as LED lights to signify proper function.

            The Varistat is part of an extensive line of static eliminating products from EXAIR that are UL listed and CE compliant. Products like the Intellistat Ion Air Gun, the Gen4 Super Ion Air Knife, and the Gen4 Ionizing Bar, exhibit the wide range of static solutions offered and the ability to combat static in a variety of manufacturing processes.

For U.S. and Canadian customers, EXAIR offers a 30-day unconditional guarantee on our cataloged items to try.  You can see how effective the Varistat Benchtop Ionizer or any of our Static Eliminators can be.  If you need help in selecting the best product for your application, an Application Engineer will be happy to help you.  And for qualified orders until March 31st, 2025, you will receive a complimentary AC Sensor, a $76.00 value, for free. 

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

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

Intellistat® Ion Air Guns™ and Gen4® Ion Air Guns

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

As EXAIR expands our Static Elimination product line, we now offer two different types of Ion Air Guns; the Intellistat Ion Air Gun and the Gen4 Ion Air Gun.  Both units are designed to blow air to remove static from a distance and to remove any pesky debris.  The ions that are created are both positive and negative to neutralize any type of static on the material surface.  They are shockless and are both ergonomically designed to reduce fatigue.  They are OSHA compliant for both noise levels and dead-end pressure.  In this blog, I will cover the features of each product.

The model 8193 Gen4 Ion Air Guns are designed for rugged areas to remove static and blow-off debris in industrial environments.  They have an armored high-voltage cable to resist abrasions and cuts and a 10-foot (3 meter) length to give plenty of reach.  The air flow is created by an air jet to increase the velocity of the ionized air while reducing compressed air usage.  As more industrial components are being made with plastic materials, static electricity will continue to be a big issue.  Dirt, dust, and plastic flashing will migrate and stick to the surfaces because of the attraction due to static charges.  This additional force makes it very difficult to remove contamination unless you remove the static first.  EXAIR offers different packages to get the most out of our product for your application.  The best areas where the Gen4 Ion Air Guns can be recommended are inside manufacturing plants, automotive plants, packaging areas, shipping departments, injection molding, etc.  Generally, the Gen4 Ion Air Guns will be used in tougher environments where durability is required. 

The model 8500 Intellistat Ion Air Gun, is designed for removing static in more “sensitive” areas, like labs, clean rooms, electronics, medical items, glass, etc.  The patented design uses a low voltage operation for generating positive and negative ions to remove any type of static.  EXAIR has earned an ISO 14644-1 Class 5 clean room rating for the Intellistat Ion Air Gun, making it ideal for clean rooms with delicate processes.  The polycarbonate construction makes the unit very lightweight and ergonomically safe, and the plastic design is preferred for these types of “clean” areas.  A feature that I really like is the red and green LED indicator lights to signify ionized air production.  It gives feedback to the user that the unit is functioning properly.  This system comes complete with the Intellistat Ion Air Gun, 6mm compressed air line, and a 24Vdc power supply.  Some target areas for this product would be for processes that require certain cleanliness standards, such as scientific research labs, solar panel manufacturing, and biotechnology industries to name a few.

EXAIR manufactures a large line of Static Eliminators.  I covered the Ion Air Guns above.  From now until March 31st, 2024, EXAIR will be giving a free AC Sensor, a $76.00 value, as a promotional item with a qualified purchase of any Static Eliminator.  If you would like to discuss your application and potential static issues, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.  We will be happy to help.

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