ESD static eliminators

[PMG1230]

I saw an unknown device in an NYT article on a satellite startup in Colorado. Turns out it is a "static eliminator fan".  https://www.tequipment.net/Quick/443C/Benchtop-Ionizers/?b=y&v=171729
Is a setup like this actually best practice for a bench working with ESD sensitive components?  Thought I ask the experts...

[shapirus]

Smells BS to me. But I may be wrong.

[bostonman]

I believe they blow positive (or maybe negative) charge into the air.

We used them at my old job, but the true method was to increase humidity in the room when it dropped below a certain percentage.

[tooki]

I saw an unknown device in an NYT article on a satellite startup in Colorado. Turns out it is a "static eliminator fan".  https://www.tequipment.net/Quick/443C/Benchtop-Ionizers/?b=y&v=171729
Is a setup like this actually best practice for a bench working with ESD sensitive components?  Thought I ask the experts...

They are real, and serve a specific purpose: to eliminate charges on insulating objects that can’t be eliminated for whatever reason. (They’re also used to blow dust off of things that otherwise tend to cling to their dust.)

http://desco.descoindustries.com/ionization/Ionizers.htm#Ionization_FAQ

[golden_labels]

The feature, which separates these from “magical” ion generating devices, is that they have electrodes for generating both negative and positive ions. “Ions are good for you” fakery will also not care about things like working distance, while manuals for these will tell you e.g. where to put the fan: the affected surface can be neither too close (not receiving both charges), nor too far (the charges recombine before hitting the surface).

They are not a replacement for normal ESD protection either. It’s a supplemental solution for where approach with grounding and avoiding charge buildup is not possible.

[PMG1230]

Thanks for the insights.  I had mentally put this into copper pyramid territory after my school district spend a fortune on ionizing air cleaners during COVID.  But engineers in a serious looking startup had them on their benches so I thought I ask. Link to the original article below (if anybody is interested).


https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/20/science/satellites-albedo-privacy.html?smid=url-share

[David Hess]

Electrostatic air cleaners work

Thanks for the insights.  I had mentally put this into copper pyramid territory after my school district spend a fortune on ionizing air cleaners during COVID.

Electrostatic air cleaners work very well, but it is difficult to know the quality of any particular model.

But engineers in a serious looking startup had them on their benches so I thought I ask. Link to the original article below (if anybody is interested).

Anti-static air ionizers are a real thing.  They produce a neutral mix of positive and negative ions which will neutralize static charge on insulated surfaces.  Usually I see them associated with laminar flow benches, but portable fan units exist.

[bostonman]

Not to dive down too far, but at my old job we had static strap testers, static coats, dehumidifiers, humidity meters/loggers, and those fans blowing across benches.

The idea was the fans blew across the bench rather than try dissipating throughout the entire room. Humidity was to be kept above a certain percentage (don't remember the number now), the static coats dissipated ESD off your body, and the strap testers to confirm the wrist straps were conducting.

Over the years meters were used to measure the charge on benches and the fans did seem to work. It comes down to good practices too. if you're working on a bench that has lots of ESD build up, the fan isn't going to solve the issue, so it's a combination of the above that contributed to the overall decrease in ESD risk.