FAQs
What is Static Clean International and what products do they offer?
Static Clean International (SCI) is a leading North American manufacturer and supplier of static control and contamination control products, with roots dating back to 1973. Static Clean was the first U.S. company to offer a full line of static control products, and today manufactures and supplies ionizing bars, power supplies, ionizing blowers, ionizing guns and nozzles, static generation equipment, Particle Trap® systems, medical cleaning systems, laminar flow benches, and cleanroom-grade ionizers. Static Clean serves industries including electronics and semiconductor manufacturing, medical device production, pharmaceutical manufacturing, plastics molding, printing, converting, and packaging. Their New England facility combines in-house engineering, manufacturing, and expert technical sales support for both standard and custom applications.
How is static electricity created in manufacturing environments?
Static electricity is generated whenever two surfaces come into contact and then separate, and at least one surface is an electrical insulator — a material that resists the flow of electrical current. In manufacturing, this happens constantly during processes such as unwinding rolls of film, slitting, sheeting, injection molding, conveying, and packaging. The resulting static charge causes materials to attract dust and particulate, stick together or repel, jam in machinery, shock operators, and in sensitive environments, cause electrostatic discharge (ESD) events that damage or destroy electronic components. Understanding where and how static is generated is the first step toward selecting the right static control solution.
What is a static elimination bar and how does it work?
A static elimination bar, also called an ionizing bar or anti-static bar, is a linear static control device that generates a balanced field of positive and negative ions to neutralize electrostatic charge on passing materials such as film, foil, paper, and plastic. Powered by a high-voltage power supply, the bar’s emitter pins ionize the surrounding air, and those ions are attracted to oppositely charged surfaces, neutralizing the static. Static Clean offers a comprehensive range of ionizing bars and compatible power supplies for applications in converting, printing, laminating, molding, and other industrial processes where uncontrolled static causes defects, contamination, or safety hazards.
What is the difference between AC ionization and DC ionization?
AC ionization, also known as corona ionization, applies alternating current at 50/60 Hz to emitter pins, causing them to alternate between producing positive and negative ions from the same emitters sixty times per second. It is widely used in ionizing bars, blowers, guns, and nozzles. Pulsed DC ionization uses separate dedicated emitters and power supplies for positive and negative ions, alternating between them at a lower frequency than AC systems — this reduces ion recombination and allows effective static neutralization at greater distances without requiring airflow. Steady-state DC ionization keeps both positive and negative power supplies active simultaneously, producing a higher continuous density of bipolar ions. Each technology has specific advantages depending on the application, distance requirements, and environment.
What is the difference between static elimination and static generation?
Static elimination removes unwanted electrostatic charge from materials and surfaces using ionization, preventing defects, contamination, dust attraction, operator shock, and ESD damage. Static generation does the opposite — it intentionally applies a precisely controlled electrostatic charge to temporarily bond materials together during manufacturing. Common static generation applications include in-mold labeling, edge pinning on extrusion lines, chill-roll tacking, film laminating, card deck static, and automated roll changeover. Static Clean offers both: a full range of ionizing products for static elimination, and charging bars, static generators, and bond power supplies for controlled static generation applications.
What causes ESD damage and how can it be prevented?
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) occurs when a buildup of static charge is suddenly released between two objects or between an object and ground. In electronics and semiconductor manufacturing, even a brief ESD event too small to feel can instantly destroy or permanently degrade sensitive components, causing latent failures that only appear after the product reaches the field. Prevention requires continuous neutralization of static charge throughout the manufacturing environment using ionizing bars, blowers, overhead ionizers, and room ionization systems. Static Clean provides a full range of ESD protection solutions for electronics assembly, semiconductor fabrication, medical device manufacturing, and cleanroom environments, ensuring static is neutralized before it can cause damage.
What does an ionizing blower do and when should I use one?
An ionizing blower generates a steady stream of balanced ionized air — equal quantities of positive and negative ions — that neutralizes static charge across a broad area without requiring direct contact with the charged surface. Ionizing blowers are ideal for workbenches, assembly stations, inspection areas, and cleanroom environments where operators handle static-sensitive components. They are available in benchtop, overhead, and ceiling-mounted configurations, and cleanroom-rated models are designed to meet the strict air quality and contamination requirements of semiconductor, medical device, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Static Clean offers a wide range of ionizing blowers suitable for both industrial and critical cleanroom applications.
What are Particle Traps and how do they control contamination?
Particle Trap® is a proprietary Static Clean product line engineered to source-capture foreign matter (FM) and particulate at the point of generation, rather than blowing contamination around the manufacturing environment. Unlike compressed air blow-off systems that redistribute particles, Particle Traps physically intercept and permanently retain foreign matter, maintaining cleanroom integrity and preventing recontamination of products, materials, and packaging. The Particle Trap® family includes a range of systems along with consumable cleaning pads and reusable rollers designed for use in medical device packaging, pharmaceutical production, electronics assembly, and other regulated manufacturing environments where contamination control is critical. Particle Trap® is a registered trademark of Static Clean International.
What static control and contamination control products are used in cleanroom environments?
Cleanroom environments require static and contamination control products that meet strict cleanliness standards, minimize particle generation, and avoid disrupting laminar airflow. Static Clean offers a comprehensive range of cleanroom-compatible solutions including ceiling-mounted room ionization systems, MAC 10® fan filter units (FFUs) with smart airflow control, benchtop ionizing blowers, cleanroom-grade ionizing guns and nozzles, Particle Trap® rollers and cleaning pads, laminar flow workstations, and medical cleaning systems. These products are used across ISO-classified cleanrooms in semiconductor fabrication, medical device manufacturing, pharmaceutical production, and life sciences applications to maintain air quality, protect sensitive components, and meet regulatory and audit requirements.
What is foreign matter (FM) contamination and why does it matter in manufacturing?
Foreign matter (FM) refers to any unwanted particulate, debris, or contamination that comes into contact with a product, component, or packaging during manufacturing. In medical device production, pharmaceutical packaging, and electronics assembly, even microscopic FM can cause product failures, regulatory non-compliance, costly rework, and risk to end users. Static electricity is a primary driver of FM contamination because charged surfaces actively attract and hold particles. Static Clean addresses FM contamination through a combination of static neutralization products that remove the attractive force, and Particle Trap® and medical cleaning systems that physically capture and remove particulate at the source — preventing it from recirculating through the manufacturing environment.
What static control products are used in the plastics molding industry?
Injection molding and extrusion processes generate high levels of static electricity due to the separation of plastic materials from molds, conveying systems, and packaging surfaces. This static causes parts to attract dust and contamination, stick to molds and conveyors, and create handling problems downstream. Static Clean provides static elimination bars and power supplies positioned at the mold exit to neutralize charge as parts are ejected, ionizing blowers for workstations and conveyors, ionizing guns for manual cleaning of parts, and static generation equipment for applications such as in-mold labeling and edge pinning. These solutions help molders improve part quality, reduce scrap, and run cleaner, more efficient production lines.
What static control products are used in printing and converting?
In printing, slitting, laminating, sheeting, and other converting operations, web materials such as film, foil, and paper generate significant static charge as they unwind, travel through machinery, and rewind. This static attracts particulate that causes print defects, lamination failures, and surface contamination, while also creating operator safety hazards and material handling problems. Static Clean offers ionizing bars with matched power supplies for web neutralization, particulate removal systems for cleaning film and substrate surfaces, ionizing air knives for broad-surface neutralization, and overhead ionizing blowers for operator workstation protection. These solutions are used by printers and converters to improve print quality, reduce waste, and maintain consistent production output.
What static control and cleaning solutions are available for medical device manufacturing?
Medical device manufacturing and packaging demand the highest levels of contamination control and ESD protection. Static Clean provides a complete range of solutions for this market, including cleanroom-grade ionizing bars and power supplies, ionizing guns and nozzles for manual and automated cleaning of devices and packaging, medical cleaning systems that incorporate static control bars and stainless-steel compressed air tubes to neutralize and capture particulate without recirculating it, Particle Trap® systems for source-capturing foreign matter, laminar flow workstations for operator-level cleanroom protection, and room ionization systems for broad-area static control. These products are designed to help medical device manufacturers meet regulatory requirements, pass audits, and deliver defect-free products.
How often should static control equipment be serviced and calibrated?
Static control devices — including ionizing bars, blowers, guns, and nozzles — degrade over time as emitter pins become contaminated, filters load with debris, and environmental factors affect performance. Without regular maintenance, static discharge times slow, ion balance becomes uneven, and contamination risk increases. Static Clean recommends filter checks and basic cleaning every one to three months depending on environment, with comprehensive performance verification — including static decay testing, ion balance measurement, and grounding checks — performed semiannually or annually. In regulated industries such as medical device manufacturing and semiconductor production, documented calibration and audit-grade reporting are essential for compliance. Static Clean offers preventative maintenance, calibration, and service programs tailored to each customer’s environment and process requirements.
Does Static Clean offer service and maintenance for static control equipment?
Yes. Static Clean International provides comprehensive service and maintenance programs for static control and contamination control equipment. Service offerings include scheduled preventative maintenance visits, emitter pin cleaning and replacement, filter inspection and replacement, static decay testing using charged plate monitors, ion balance measurement and calibration, grounding verification, and full documentation and audit-ready reporting. Static Clean also offers emergency response and repair services. For customers within approximately 150 miles of their North Billerica, Massachusetts facility, direct on-site service is available, with remote and travel support offered for customers further afield. Service plans are customized to match each facility’s cleanliness class, equipment inventory, and process risk profile.
How do I get a quote or technical support from Static Clean International?
Static Clean International provides expert application advice to match each customer’s specific manufacturing challenges with the optimal static control or contamination control solution. Their technical sales team can be reached by phone at 781-229-7799 or by email at techsales@staticclean.com. Customers can also submit a quote request directly through the website at staticclean.com. Static Clean serves customers throughout North America and internationally, offering both standard catalog products and fully engineered custom solutions for OEM and end-user applications across industrial, medical, and electronics markets.
