Archive for the ‘Static Ionizers’ Category

Static ionizers are an important part of any static control program as an efficient, non-contact method of removing surface charges that otherwise would damage sensitive electronics or allow dust to adhere to a product. However, there are two main operating factors that can cause waste, and thus increase the operating cost of using this solution:

• Air Consumption – Static Ionizers require a source of compressed air in order to effectively and quickly remove static charges. Using an excess amount of compressed air is costly and should be minimized as much as possible.
• Discharge Needle Wear – The discharge needles that are used in ionization systems are a consumable product. They typically have a usable life of around 10,000 hours before they need to be replaced. By keeping the ionizer active at all times, you will accelerate the end-of-life for these components, rather then use them on an as needed basis.

SUNX has created an ionizer lineup that strikes a balance between effectiveness and efficiency by including advanced features that will help minimize the resources that are used. The ER-V series, for example, has an input built-in to externally control the ion discharge of the unit. This makes it possible to only activate the ion production when it is needed. By using the ionizer product along side other SUNX sensors, such as the EF-S1 static sensor and CX-400 photoelectric sensor, it is possible to create a closed loop system without the need for any extensive PLC programming. To do so, you would use the following steps:

	Step 1 - Use a CX-400 series photoelectric sensor to detect the presence of the target that needs to be ionized.
	Step 2 – The output of the CX-400 sensor would activate the trigger input on the EF-S1 static sensor to perform a measurement of the static level on the part. If the surface static is outside of a preset window threshold, the sensor’s output will activate the ER-V ion discharge as well as a small solenoid valve to begin airflow.
	Step 3 – Once the surface charge is dissipated, the output turns off allowing the process to continue on to the next part while cutting off the air flow to the ionizer as well as halting the ion discharge until the next part advances into position.

In this example, the EF-S1 static sensor controls the process by determining the static level only when there is an object present. The single output of the EF-S1 sensor provides the only feedback that a PLC needs in order to stop and start the motion in the process.

The ionizer and air supply are only used if there is an abnormal static condition present, thus saving the discharge needle and air consumption in the process.

For more information, here is the EF-S1 Brochure, ER-V Brochure, ER-VW Brochure, & ER-TF Brochure