Around the world, SMC Corporation has a long history in assisting customers in several industries with pneumatic solutions and components. Perhaps less well known in South Africa is the SMC ioniser range, which can be used to neutralise static electricity.
Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a specific material. The charge remains until it is able to move away by means of an electric current or electrical discharge. In many industries such as food and packaging the effects of static electricity are well known to have a negative impact on production. Applications where static build-up commonly causes problems are:
• Conveyors transferring parts.
• PET bottles attracting dust and causing labelling issues.
• Packaging and shrink-wrapping films attracting dust and deforming on rollers.
• Parts feeders clogging due to parts sticking to each other and products.
“We have assisted customers with a large variety of applications from shrink-wrapping flammable material safely, to eliminating situations where employees have experienced electric shocks from static build up on conveyors,” says Liezl Siebrits, senior sales engineer at SMC’s Western Cape office.
SMC offers a variety of ionisers to suit different applications:
• The IZS ar type can achieve rapid static neutralisation with bar length options up to 2500 mm.
• The IZF fan type is the fastest and thinnest static charge neutraliser and eliminates static charge from all type of objects or surfaces.
• The IZN10E nozzle type is perfectly compact and with the range of design variants it is possible to modify the ion distribution to a precise fit.
• The new edition IZT bar type has a separate controller that can be mounted remotely and control up to four ionisers, making it more versatile for inaccessible places.
“We have various ways of demonstrating this technology to companies who are interested,” concludes Siebrits. “We can do site visits with the dynamic demonstration panels, while also measuring the static build up in areas of concern. We also have a state-of-the-art show room in Midrand where people can learn more about this technology and its benefits.”
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