Static Eliminator

Common ways that these excessive charges are produced include friction, separation and changes in temperature, all of which result in the need for static eliminators, because a disproportionate amount of ions can be harmful to objects and materials, resulting in such ill-effects as fire hazards, minor electrical shocks to workers and equipment damage. One way to determine if static electricity has developed is through the use of a static meter. Once the presence of static electricity is established, the next step is to neutralize the effects of static electricity, or at least combat them as well as possible through electrostatic discharge or ESD products such as anti static mats, anti-static spray, ionizers and anti static gloves. Other forms of ESD protection include corona treaters, static brushes, static bags and ground straps. These static control products are utilized in many industries including electronics, semiconductor, printing, automotive, medical, residential, plastics and power generation.

There are two main types of solutions to static electricity: active and passive. A static control solution is passive when it reduces the surface charge of the static electricity through absorption. They are a less effective method of static control than active since they simply reduce rather than eliminate static electricity, the passive static control methods do not require power and include electro-static induction and grounding. Electro-static induction works to control static electricity through using a body or material, such as a static brush, which possesses a charge of static electricity that corrects the proportion of ions by developing a charge of static electricity of the opposite character in the desired object. The two objects do not need to be touching, but should be in close proximity to one another for effective induction to occur. Another couple of examples of static eliminators that work by induction are anti static mats and static bags. Grounding also controls static electricity without power, but in a much different method. Grounding works by establishing a direct electric connection to the earth, providing an outlet for excessive electrical charges. The most common type of static eliminator that controls static electricity is a grounding strap. Grounding straps are often used in the industrial manufacturing industry to ground various machinery and equipment.

Active static control solutions are much more effective than passive static control methods because active static control can actually eliminate, rather then simply reduce, static electricity. A static control method is active when it requires power in order to function. The main method of active static control is ionization. Ionization refers to the formation of ions that can be achieved through a variety of methods including particle collisions, chemical reactions, electrical discharge, high temperatures or radiation. The static eliminators that provide ionization are referred to as ionizers, which operate on electrical energy to generate a balanced stream of ions in order to neutralize the unbalanced charge of the object providing static electricity, as well as negating particle attraction that would lead to further static electricity problems. There are two main types of static eliminating ionizers: alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). While both types of static control ionizers have their advantages, DC ionizers require the use of another power supply or circuitry in order to provide the opposite polarity that is inherent in the AC ionizer. Ionizers are widely used in industries such as plastics processing, printing, electronics and printing, and are used not only on materials such as paper and plastics, but also on substances such as air and water.

Another, less straight-forward and conventional way that static control can be achieved is through the process of corona treatment. Corona treatment is used as a method of surface treatment, a way to allow a surface that is more conducive to bonding to other materials such as inks and adhesives. This is achieved by exposing the material to an electrical discharge, referred to as a corona. While increasing the bonding capabilities, the corona treatment also protects the material against the build-up of static electricity and is therefore more of a preventative measure than a static eliminating product. Another unconventional method of static elimination is anti-static spray. Anti-static spray works to prevent the occurrence of static electricity by providing a thin, transparent coat to equipment. Anti-static sprays are effective in hard-to-reach places or blocked surfaces, for products that move at rapid speeds, and on surfaces with an extremely high static charge. Functioning by way of conductivity, or the transmission of electricity, anti-static sprays are commonly manufactured by way of a diluting a soap-based material in a solvent such as mild alcohol. In most cases, a fire retardant is added to the anti-static spray in order to combat the flammability of the solvent.

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Static Eliminator Types

• Antistat - A compound that provides the surface of a material with static-dissipative properties. Antistats are either applied directly to the surface of the material or incorporated into its formulation.
  
• Anti static gloves are used in factories and environments in which static electricity is common, such as the medical equipment, electronics and computer industries. Anti-static gloves protect both the worker and the product from damage.
• Anti static mats reduce static electricity by discharging electric fields. The worker simply touches the mat before interacting with sensitive equipment.
• Anti-static spray prevents the occurrence of static electricity by providing a thin, transparent coat to equipment.
• Anti-static wipes are towelettes that are pre-moistened with anti-static cleaner.
• Corona Treaters are involved in a treatment process that protects the material from static electricity as well as making it a more bondable surface for substances such as ink and adhesives.
• ESD Products are static control products involved in stopping electrostatic discharge from harming any sensitive electronic machines in the general vicinity.
• ESD Protection is the purpose of ESD products that in essence stop electrostatic discharge from harming sensitive electronics nearby with various techniques.
• Grounding Straps are dissipative or conductive straps that are worn on the wrist or the shoes to provide a path between the wearer and a ground. A ribbon from the grounding strap makes contact with the wearer's skin or socks.
• Ionizers, also called "ionized air blowers," generate positive and negative ions and then blow them across a work surface to neutralize potentially damaging static charges on any objects sitting on the surface.
• Static Bags are specialized bags that hold sensitive electronics such as computer chips, protecting them from electrostatic discharge.
• Static Brushes, also called ESD brushes, allow for cleaning without creating static. ESD brushes are used for static dissipation and wiping, solder removal, lead trimming rework and dusting/dirt removal.
• Static Control protects equipment from the damage of static electricity.
• Static Control Flooring contains a coating or finish that maintains conductivity during factory operations and under different environmental conditions. 
• Static Meters are electronic devices used to determine whether an object or surface is electrically charged and requires the neutralization of one of the static control products mentioned above.

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Static Eliminator Terms

Catastrophic Failure - The failure of a product caused by electrostatic overstress.

Conductor - A substance that maintains the ability to transmit an electrical charge. Conductors have high electrical resistance.

Degradation - Product damage, resulting from static electricity or ESD, in which the product works at a lower level of efficiency, but has not yet failed.

Electrical Resistance - A measurement reflecting an object's ability to carry an electrical charge. A conductive object with low electrical resistance can transmit a high level of electricity across its surface; a non-conductive object with high electrical resistance transmits little or no electricity across its surface.

Electrostatic Charge - The electrical charge generated when two objects contact each other and separate, a process called "triboelectric charging" or "tribocharging."

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) - The release of electrical energy, usually caused by the shift of electrons from one object to another as the objects come into contact with and separate from one another. ESD occurs between two objects with different electrical potential and may reduce product effectiveness or cause product failure.

Electrostatic Overstress - A circumstance in which an object is exposed to an electrical current greater than that to which the object is normally exposed. Stressing a product past its tolerance may result in reduced product effectiveness or product failure.

Grounding - A process in which an object containing an electrical charge connects with a conductor, such as the earth.

Inductance - An increase in an electrical field's strength that may result in static electricity.

Insulator - A substance with little or no ability to carry an electric charge. Insulators have low electrical resistance.

Low Charging - A term synonymous with "anti-static."

Ohm - A measurement indicative of a conductive object's electrical resistance.

Static Dissipative - An object's ability to carry a charge throughout its surface. An object that is static dissipative ranges between conductivity and insulation.

Triboelectric Charging - A major cause of ESD in which a charge is created when electrons shift from one object to another during the contact and separation of the two objects with one another.

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