Exair FAQ Library

A soft bristle brush (a toothbrush works well) should be used to clean the emitter points and channel to remove any particulate. Do not use anything that will bend or dull the emitter points. Do not use any soaps or liquid cleaners that will leave a conductive residue. They can destroy the effectiveness and lifespan. A simple cleaning operation added to your planned maintenance schedule can eliminate potential performance problems. The frequency of cleaning required will depend upon the environment in which the ionizer is installed. Dirty industrial applications may require daily cleaning while clean-room applications may require only monthly cleaning. It is important to evaluate the cleaning needs of each individual ionizer installation.

Never clean an ionizer with the power on!

The ionizer showers the product’s surface with positive and negative ions so the charge is completely eliminated. If that part or material experiences friction where it rubs against another surface, a new charge can be induced.

EXAIR Corporation does not recommend ducting its ionization products due to the air turbulence created by the ducting and the recombination of the ions. Ducted EXAIR ionizers have been successful in applications where diminished performance was acceptable.

Model 7905 Static Meter will indicate surface voltage and polarity up to ±20 kV at a spacing of one inch with an accuracy of 10% full scale. The Static Meter will help pinpoint the location of the static trouble spots in your application.

Models 7960 & 7961 - In 115 VAC mode consume 0.2 Amps, in 230 VAC mode consume 0.1 Amps.
Models 7901 & 7940 (115 VAC) consume 0.2 Amps.
Models 7907 & 7941 (230 VAC) consume 0.1 Amps.

Static Eliminators with air are ideal for hard to reach places or obstructed surfaces, products moving at high speeds, and surfaces with an extremely high charge. Air assisted ionizers include the Super Ion Air Knife, Standard Ion Air Knife, Super Ion Air Wipe, Ion Air Cannon, Ion Air Gun and the Ion Air Jet.

Static Eliminators without air fit situations where even the smallest amount of airflow can disturb the product, or space is extremely limited. The static eliminator must be mounted within two inches from the charged surface. Ionizers without air include the Ionizing Bar and Ionizing Point.

Please contact an Application Engineer for a recommendation for your application.

Usually, the most effective place to install an ionizer is going to be shortly before the area of the process where the static field is creating problems (tearing, jamming, discharge to personnel, etc.)  Sometimes multiple ionizers on a single process may be necessary due to static regeneration in the process. If the application is cleaning, the ionizer should be positioned shortly before packaging or finishing operations.

A Static Meter (Model 7905) is also available from EXAIR to determine the places in a process where the static generation is occurring. The Static Meter measures the polarity and magnitude of a given static field.

We offer one-piece lengths from 3" to 108" for our Super Ion Air Knife and 3" to 48" lengths for our Standard Ion Air Knife. Custom lengths are also available - contact an Application Engineer for assistance.

A Super Air Knife or Standard Air Knife can easily be retrofitted to your existing Ionizing Bar.  If you know the length of the bar you currently have, we can specify the parts you will need in order to convert the Ion Bar to a Super Ion Air Knife or a Standard Ion Air Knife.  Please contact an Application Engineer at 1-800-903-9247.

Static Eliminators are not designed to de-magnetize objects. Magnetic attraction and static attraction are two different phenomena that have nothing to do with each other. EXAIR Static Eliminators work to reduce static charges by providing positive and negative ions to the surface of a material to bring the total static charge back to neutral. Magnetic attraction is caused by lines of force created by the alignment of atoms in magnetized material.

EXAIR has two groups of products that are not for use around flammable materials, the conveying products and the static eliminators. The Line Vac, Drum Vac and Chip Vac conveying products all have the potential to produce a static charge caused by the material being transported. The static eliminating products all use high voltage technology to eliminate a static charge and could possible produce a spark by the high voltage emitter points.