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This page gives you all aspects of static-electricity and will explain static electricity in detail, the how and why. If you are interested in a solution for a static electricity related problem(industrial static eliminators) you can also ask the expert directly via Chat, email or you can give us a call. The chat is available during working hours and you can pick the right department for your question! If you want to know all details about what is static-electricity? please continue to read and you will find the information that you need on this website.
What is static electricity in simple words:
Static means not moving. Static electricity is an electrical static charge, a static charge that doesn’t move.
All materials are made up of atoms. An atom is the smallest particle of a material that still contains the properties of the material. Each atom consists of a positively charged nucleus around which one or more negative electrons move. In an idle state, the positive charge of the nucleus is equal to the sum of the negative charge of the electrons moving around the same nucleus(kind of core). Therefore the charge is neutral (see figure 1). If the nucleus loses or gains electrons, an imbalance is caused and this is the answer to the question: What causes static electricity?
An atom that has lost one or more electrons has a positive charge. An an atom that has gained one or more electrons has a negative charge and is called an ion (figure 2). There are only two types of charge: positive and negative. Atoms with the same type of charge repel one another, while those with the opposite type of charge attract one another. The difference between parts that have been charged is measured in kV(kiloVolt) is called static electricity. That is also what is meant by static electricity.
Static electricity is the result of an imbalance between negative and positive charges in an object. Static elecricity is measured in kiloVolt(kV). These electrical charges can build up on the surface of an object until they find a way to discharge the static energy. This can be done fore instance with the aid of Static Eliminators.
Materials can be divided into two basic groups: conductors and insulators. In a conductor, the electrons can move around freely. In principle, a conductor that is arranged in an insulated way(not connected to ground/earth) can take on a static charge. This charge can easily be eliminated by connecting the conductor to earth (see figure 5). Non-conductive material can retain static charge for a long time, even having opposite polarities in different places on the same surface and right next to each other. The electrons cannot move around freely(hence static). This explains why materials are attracted(static cling) in some zones and repelled in others. This force of repelling and/or attracting can also be used for the benefit in different processes. where a label is glued with the help of static electricity to a mold. Connecting these insulators to earth(grounding) does not work because the material has non-conductive properties (see figure 6). Only active ionisation with the aid of static eliminators offers a solution to this.
how to neutralize static electricity? Nuetralising or eliminating the static electrical energy or charge on nonconductors is carried out by means of active ionisation. Simco is world-renowned as the largest producer of ionisation equipment for the use of static elimination. The high-voltage-generator creates a high-voltage on points of this equipment, air molecules are split up into positive and negative ions. The static charge on the product attracts ions of the opposite polarity, thus neutralising the material.
Simco has a wide range of equipment to choose from depending on which type is the most suitable for certain production processes or applications. A selection of the right type of equipment is depending on many factors but mostly on the distance to the material that needs to be neutralized. However, static electricity can also be useful. Using high voltage, materials can be given a static charge so that they will stick to each other(static cling) temporarily, thus simplifying production processes.
To put it simply, Simco produces equipment for measuring , eliminating and controlling static electricitythrough a unique concept, the IQ Easy Platform. Up to thirty ionisation and charging devices can be connected in a network and allows full control over all charging and discharging parameters. The IQ Easy Platform is fully prepared for industry 4.0 applications and integrations have been made in many factories worldwide. All devices communicate with each other to optimize efficiency and provide optimal control. Simco-Ion has created a short video series about this topic that you can find on Youtube, a link to the first video can be found here.
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