ESD Ionizers for all your manufacturing areas and applications

Taking the mystery out of Static Electricity

Ions and Ionization

An ion is an atom that is electrically charged. It is produced when there is a change in the electrical balance of a neutral atom.

If the outer shell of an atom takes on an extra electron, an ion with a negative charge is formed.

If the outer shell loses an electron, a positive ion is formed. Negative and positive ions produce negative and positive static electricity.

How Static Electricity Is Created

Static electricity is commonly thought of as the product of friction.

However, the use of the terms contact and separation may more accurately help to understand how static electricity is generated.

Almost all materials are neutral in charge when not in contact with other materials. Once two such materials are placed or pressed into close contact, the balance of the surface electrons tend to become disturbed.

If the two materials are then separated rapidly by sliding one against the other or pulling one off the other, the displaced electrons have difficulty returning to normal balance.

This separation leaves one of the materials positively charged (+) and the other negatively charged (-). This is particularly true when one, or both, of the materials are insulators or poor conductors of electricity.

Problems Caused By Static

A positively charged material will repel another positively charged material and attract a negatively charged material.

Similarly, a negatively charged material will repel another negatively charged material and attract a positively charged material. In short, like charges repel and opposite charges attract.

And this causes problems in Converting, Manufacturing, Packaging, Printing, Painting, Plastic, Textile, Electronic Assembly and other industrial operations.

In the presence of static electricity, materials you need to keep separate may stick to each other and materials you need to adhere may repel each other; foreign substances such as dust or contaminates may be attracted to your equipment surfaces and products, and coating materials such as paint or ink may be repelled rather than evenly distributed on surfaces.

Production is interrupted and production speeds are slowed, product quality is decreased and more rejects occur, dust and other contaminates compromise product quality and productivity, and personnel may experience electrostatic shock.

Static Elimination – How It Works

Generally speaking there are two types of static elimination devices: active and passive.

Active Static Elimination Devices are referred to as ionizers or neutralizers. They emit a field of positive and negative ions that neutralizes the static electricity present on your production equipment or product, eliminating costly production problems.

ALX offers active devices in many configurations, sizes, power levels and ranges, plus models that are air assisted. Thus enabling you to select the exact device you need to suit a larger or smaller area, to neutralize static from a greater or lesser distance, to overcome mounting/installation difficulties, or maximize dust and contaminant removal.

ALX static eliminators are powered by AC current or by DC Pulse technology, and are capable of neutralizing static down to a near “zero” level. Our outstandingly designed and engineered products give years of dependable low maintenance service.

Passive Anti-Static Devices, such as our Tinsel, Cord and Brushes, operate on the self-energizing or induction principle, energized by the static field present on the process material surface.

No outside power source is needed. Passive devices are low in cost and easy to install and replace.

They very effectively reduce static fields to around a 2000 volt, or lower level, which is ideal for numerous applications.

We have over 50 years of experience in the Static Electricity control business.

We can solve your production line and other problems concerning static electricity.

• Your plastic bottles don’t line up correctly?
• Your labels don’t attach correctly?

Call us for helpful advice.

We can help you place the correct Ionizer at the correct location to end your static electricity problems.

ALX Technical