Anti-Static Brushes and Static Electricity
Static charge (electricity) is a fairly simple, but often misunderstood event. Briefly stated, a static charge is generated between materials through friction, pressure or separation of two materials. This process is called the Triboelectric Effect [tribo means rubbing]. A material that inhibits the generation of static charges is classified as low charging (anti-static). Low charging (anti-static) materials used to make these natural fill brushes include Wood, Hog Bristle, Horse Hair and Goat Hair. These materials can be used in ESD sensitive areas as long as the brush remains in a liquid environment. In a dry environment, only conductive or dissipative materials should be used in ESD safe areas.
An anti-static brush is a brush made using “low charging” fill material. Low Charging brushes are used for applications where the inhibition of charges >200v is desirable, as there is a possible static charge generation of <200v during use. The most common antistatic materials used to make these industrial cleaning tools include wood, hog bristle, horsehair and goat hair. Less common materials such as static dissipative Nylon and static dissipative acetal are also anti-static. In a liquid environment, these types of industrial brushes can be safely used in ESD sensitive areas without any issues. In many industries, such as in the electronics and cleanroom industries, it is imperative to use this category of brush to avoid hazardous incidents.
There are 10 categories of anti-static brushes. These brushes are available in five different fill materials and seven different handle materials. two different block materials, and three different frame materials. Other selectable options include number of rows, trim, handle length, brush face length, brush face width, bristle diameter, and others parameters.
These 122 different brushes have many different uses in a wide variety of industries to control static electricity. Anti-static brushes remove static charges, resulting in the adhesion of particles such as dust to an object. Soft hair brush designs prevents scratching. They are ideal for optics, scientific applications, printing, and instrument/computer screens., just to name a few applications.
The shape and size of these brushes also vary considerably depending on the purpose. Many are great to reach in hard to get areas. While some can be attached to a machine, most of them are hand-held. The diversity of these brushes makes them ideal for a multitude of projects.
