This section provides an overview for anti-static agents as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 9 anti-static agent manufacturers and their company rankings.
Table of Contents
An anti-static agent is an agent that prevents static electricity from being generated by the uneven distribution and accumulation of electrons on the surface of insulators, such as plastics and synthetic fibers.
When static electricity is generated, dust, pollen, etc., are adsorbed, causing stains. When static electricity is discharged, it may cause discomfort, and in home appliances and electronic equipment, it can lead to malfunctions and malfunctions. In addition, electrostatic attraction and repulsion between charged objects often cause problems in manufacturing processes. An Anti-Static agent is used to avoid such problems caused by static electricity.
An anti-static agent is classified into two types: coated antistatic agents, which are applied to molded plastic products or films, and kneaded antistatic agents, which are used by kneading into the product.
Anti-static agents are used in a variety of fields, including electrical products, automobiles, paper, textiles, printing, resins, films, plastics, and electronic materials. They are used for two purposes: to improve product performance and to eliminate defects or increase productivity in the product manufacturing process.
In some cases, anti-static agents are removed in the post-process to improve productivity, while in other cases, anti-static agents are left in place to improve product performance.
Anti-static agents are applied to plastics (surface treatment) or incorporated into plastics to improve the ion conductivity of the plastic surface or the plastic itself. This is because improving ion conductivity makes plastic surfaces less likely to become charged.
Although there are ways to improve the electronic conductivity of objects in order to prevent plastics from becoming charged, most Anti-Static agents improve ionic conductivity.
Improving electronic conductivity is also an extremely effective means of antistatic, but it requires the application of metal plating to the surface of the plastic or the addition of conductive fillers with high electronic conductivity, such as carbon black or metal powder.
However, most of these treatments are limited to applications where black or metal coloration is acceptable, since carbon or metal coloration will be applied to the plastic surface.
Anti-static agents make plastic surfaces less likely to be charged with static electricity by making the plastic surfaces more susceptible to static electricity by the presence of anti-static agents. There are two types of application methods: application type and knead in type.
Anti-static agents of low molecular weight type such as antistatic agents are mainly used, while anti-static agents of a high-molecular-weight type such as polymers with ion conductive moieties in their molecules are used in the kneaded-in type.
Anti-static agents are applied to the surface of molded plastic products and release static electricity by adsorbing moisture into the air. However, since it is only applied to the surface, it is removed by wiping with water when cleaning, etc., and has low durability.
Anti-static agents are designed to ooze onto the surface of plastics when kneaded into them. After the plastic is molded, a film of anti-static agents is formed on the surface, and moisture is adsorbed to this area to release static electricity. Therefore, the amount of antistatic agent kneaded into the plastic is as low as 0.2~2% to be effective.
As with the coating type, the anti-static agents are easily removed by wiping with water, but as long as the anti-static agents remain inside the plastic, it will reappear from the inside, thereby restoring the anti-static properties.
Unlike the low-molecular-weight type, the molecular size of the kneaded-in polymer anti-static agents is large, so there is no oozing effect. Therefore, it is necessary to have the required amount present on the surface immediately after molding.
Although it is necessary to knead in a considerable amount of 5~20%, it is firmly incorporated into the plastic, and the attractive point is that it will not be wiped off with a simple water wipe. Therefore, it has the longest lasting effect.
As for the types of anti-static agents, as mentioned above, each type has different features of and optimum applications, so appropriate selection must be made depending on the situation.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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