Static charge is a surface phenomenon, which means it has to be addressed on the entire surface that it’s causing a problem on. For sheets, plates, films — anything that’s flat and stacked or rolled, really — EXAIR Gen4 Super Ion Air Knives are a popular solution. They generate a laminar, even curtain of ionized air that’ll dissipate the static charge on a surface up to 9 feet wide quietly, effectively…and quickly. For smaller pieces & parts, we’ve got Ion Air Jets and Ion Air Cannons that create a more focused stream of ionized air. For portability, the Gen4 Ion Air Gun is essentially a handheld version of the Ion Air Jet.
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 a great fit. They generate a uniform 360° ionized airflow to eliminate static on the surface of those kinds of products. 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.
360° blow off AND fast, efficient static dissipation: EXAIR Super Ion Air Wipe.
Gen4 Super Ion Air Wipe
Both of the photos above show Super Ion Air Wipes used for plastic hose — and that is indeed a VERY popular application for them. They’re also successfully used for tubing, wire, pipe, extrusions, anything that can pass through the 2″ or 4″ inside diameter & needs to have static charge removed from it.
If you have problems with static charge, EXAIR has solutions. Give me a call.
Russ Bowman, CCASS
Application Engineer Visit us on the Web Follow me on Twitter Like us on Facebook
In this installment of EXAIR’s Starter Guide Series, we’re taking a closer look at another Intelligent Compressed Air® Product. If you’ve purchased, or are considering purchasing a Gen4 Ion Air Cannon, this short video is for you:
The 20th century was an amazing time for technological advances. In just 70 years, the science & engineering communities went from believing that powered flight was impossible, to actually powering a flight that took three astronauts all the way to the Moon…and back. In the 50 years or so since then, the computers with the power required for space travel went from needing a whole room, to being able to fit on our desks, and eventually, our pockets.
All three of these: a state of the art computer from 1962 (left), the desktop computer I’m writing this blog on (middle), and a smart phone being used for its most popular function (right) all have about the same amount of computing power, believe it or not. (full disclosure: I believe it because I used my smart phone to look that up on the internet)
Along with these amazing advances in technology came exponential increases in the materials it takes to make devices like desktop (or laptop) computers and smart phones…and some of those materials don’t get along well at all with the environment, and by extension, those of us who live in said environment. This doesn’t normally matter as long as those materials are housed inside an operating computer or cell phone (or myriad other electronic devices), but it DOES become a concern when they’re disposed of. When stuff like that ends up in landfills, for instance, it has a bad habit of making its way into the water table…and that’s not good for anyone.
In 2002, the European Union (EU) started pursuing legislation to restrict the use of certain hazardous substances, to get out ahead of disposal issues by keeping them out of products from the very beginning. This led to the creation & implementation of the RoHS Directive. It’s been revised, amended, and updated over the years, because it turns out there are no viable substitutes for SOME of those substances in SOME situations. Among these exceptions:
Mercury is used extensively in a number of energy efficient CFL light bulbs and fluorescent tubes, so there are exemptions for that, and it works because there’s a whole industry devoted to the proper recycling of these products.
My personal favorite is the specific exclusion for lead in the manufacture of pipe organs. Seems that the lead based alloy that’s been used for centuries is critical to the tonal qualities of the sound that the pipes produce. Since disposal rates of these are negligible (the use of this alloy is one of the reasons they LAST for centuries), pipe organ pipes don’t have to be RoHS compliant.
Compliance with the RoHS Directive is so important to EXAIR, it’s part of our Sustainability Plan. All of our products that are subject to the Directive have certificates of compliance (available upon request) that document their compliance. Per the specifics of the Directive, these are comprised of certain products in our Optimization, Static Eliminators, and Cabinet Cooler System product lines:
These are all of our products that are electrical or electronic in nature. Our broad line of engineered compressed air products are not subject to the Directive, as they have no electrical or electronic components. We DO make sure these comply with other regulatory directives, as applicable, such as:
Conflict Mineral Free: All compressed air products
CE: All products
UL: Static Eliminators and Cabinet Cooler Systems are UL Listed, HazLoc Cabinet Cooler Systems are UL Classified
ATEX: These are a brand new line (as of this writing) of Cabinet Cooler products
If you’d like to find out more about EXAIR’s commitment to compliance with any of these standards or directives, give me a call.
Russ Bowman, CCASS
Application Engineer Visit us on the Web Follow me on Twitter Like us on Facebook
The static eliminating, Gen4 Ion Air Cannon is ideal for those applications where you need a concentrated flow of Ionized Air to remove static and dust. The Gen4 Ion Air Cannon will entrain a large amount of ambient air, and with the ion emitter point place in the air flow, it can produce static eliminating effectiveness up to 15 feet away. This is perfect for those confined areas that need a concentrated flow of static eliminating ions. These can be operated with a compressed air supply as low as 10 PSIG.
The Gen 4 Ion Air Cannon has a small profile to fit in tight spaces and still have a large amount of air flow. It comes mounted on a sturdy stand with lockable swivels and predrilled holes to allow for easy mounting and orientation of output airflow. Simply connect a compressed air supply, plug in the power supply power cord, and you are in business. Beyond knowing how it can be mounted, here is how it works:
Below, is the Gen4 Ion Air Cannon performance table based on 12″ distance from a target:
The Gen 4 Ion Air Cannon has a multitude of uses; form and fill bag openings, neutralizing shrink wrap, cleaning and neutralizing parts, removing static on assemblies, pre-paint dust removal and so much more. If you have any questions on how this can help you, please do not hesitate to call me or any of our application engineers.
Thank you for stopping by,
Brian Wages
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation Visit us on the Web Follow me on Twitter
