Ionizers remove static from surfaces that cannot be grounded. There are two types: AC or Alternating Current and DC or Direct Current. This presentation proves pros and cons to each technology. For more information, contact Transforming Technologies.

2. Most Ionizers Used in PCBA Use Corona Ionization
with a Fan to Convey Ions to the Target Object(s)
•One parameter of an ionizer is the amount of air flow

3. DC (Isostat) Ionizer Technology from SCS/3M
Ion Technology: Isostat steady state DC corona
Models: 963 and 960
Theory of Operation: DC ionizer inherently balanced to 30v using
Law of Conservation of Charge.
Con
• Poor balance and slow decay times when
emitter points are dirty.
Pro
• Good balance and decay
times when emitter points are
clean.
+/- 30 volts

4. AC Ionizer Technology From Transforming Technologies
Piezoelectric AC
68KHz
Oscillator
Piezoelectric
“Transformer”
Ion Technology: AC Corona
Models: IN5110 and IN5120
Theory of Operation: AC ionizer inherently balanced
to 10v using the Law of
Conservation of Charge.
Pro
• Better balance
• Faster decays
• Easier to clean
• Emitters easier to replace
Con
• Emitters still need
periodic cleaning to
maximize decays

5. AC vs DC Technology
HV
AC
• Separated emitter points minimizes ion
recombination, but requires a fan to mix ions
• Inherently balanced to 30v with clean emitters
using the Law of Conservation of Charge
applied to DC ionizer
• Ion balance degrades as emitters become
contaminated and wear. Decay times lengthen
• Requires frequent cleaning and emitter
replacement due to polarity dedicated emitters
• Bipolar ion emitter design requires nominally more
airflow to reduce ion recombination
• Inherently balanced to 10v using the
Law of Conservation of Charge
applied to AC ionizer
• Infrequent cleaning due to bipolar ion
emitters. Balance remains good
• Preferred for PCBA applications for
limited maintenance
+HV-HV
DC

6. SCS IsoStat Ionizer Technology
Maintenance Requirements
(from 963 Owners Manual)
What they say…

7. SCS IsoStat Ionizer Technology
Maintenance Requirements
(from 963 Owners Manual)
What they mean…
• When emitter points become dirty, the internal
circuitry of the ionizer will automatically adjust to emit
an equal amount of positive and negative ions.
• Applying the Law of Conservation of Charge works
better for AC ionization than DC. 10v vs 30v when
ionizers are clean. Dirty emitters make it worse.
• Contamination on the needlepoint may inhibit
ionization (decay times).
• Emitter contamination affects all ionizer decay times.
• The emitter points are located behind the fan. • Removing the back fan cover is not easy, making
cleaning with a swab difficult.
• Be careful not to damage points during cleaning. • The 963 and 960 both use Tungsten Wire for emitters.
This wears unevenly and is difficult to replace. Wire can
be easily deformed, affecting balance.

8. AC Technology
• Inherently balanced AC ionizers require no periodic adjustment
• Infrequent cleaning and emitter replacement requirements compared to DC
technology
• Transforming Technology’s IN5110 and IN5120 ionizers have a quick release grid to
minimize the time to clean the replaceable emitter points.
Grill pops off IN5110 and
IN5120 with no tools for
point cleaning
Unscrew 963/960
grill to clean emitter
points

9. Conclusions
• AC ionizing blowers maintain better balance and better
decay times than DC blowers
• The Law of Conservation of Charge works more
precisely with AC ionization
• Cleaning an AC ionizer is easier and less time
consuming than with DC ionizers due to design
• Tungsten wire emitters are easily bent and damaged
during the cleaning process
• AC technology is the preferred ionization method for
PCBA manufacturing

10. Conclusions
• AC ionizing blowers maintain better balance and better
decay times than DC blowers
• The Law of Conservation of Charge works more
precisely with AC ionization
• Cleaning an AC ionizer is easier and less time
consuming than with DC ionizers due to design
• Tungsten wire emitters are easily bent and damaged
during the cleaning process
• AC technology is the preferred ionization method for
PCBA manufacturing