What Is an Antistatic Cord?
An antistatic cord is a cord made of conductive fibers with the ability to eliminate static electricity. Insulators such as synthetic fibers and resin products easily accumulate static electricity and are easily charged not only by electrical causes but also by physical actions such as friction, contact, and liquid flow. Charged insulators not only cause powder scattering and adsorption of foreign substances, which adversely affect work and quality but also generate sparks called spark discharges between them and conductors, which can cause pinholes and fires.
An antistatic cord is a conductive cord that, when connected to the ground, prevents it from accumulating an electrical charge. When brought near an electrically charged insulator, it can safely remove static without direct contact.
Applications of Antistatic Cord
Antistatic cords are used to eliminate static from various non-conductive materials, thereby solving various problems caused by static electricity.
Typical problems caused by static electricity include the adsorption of powder and foreign matter due to the charging of films and other non-conductive products, and fires and explosions caused by spark discharges when working with hazardous materials.
Antistatic cords can eliminate static by generating corona discharge without sparking or touching the product. They can be installed in the production line where products such as films are manufactured to prevent the products from being charged, thereby preventing these problems before they occur.
Principle of Antistatic Cord
The principle of antistatic cords depends on the type of antistatic cord, but the basic principle is to remove static electricity by generating corona discharge when the antistatic cord is placed close to an electrically charged material. Antistatic cords are made of conductive stainless steel and synthetic fibers, or synthetic fibers chemically bonded with copper sulfide, to give them conductivity. Furthermore, since the surface of the cord is made up of fine fibers, a very low-energy discharge called corona discharge is generated from the tip of the cord. Unlike spark discharge, corona discharge has very little risk of becoming an ignition source for flammable substances, so it can safely remove static electricity from charged objects.
The principle of this type of antistatic cord is a self-discharge method of static elimination in which static is removed by placing a grounded conductor close to the cord, a principle similar to that of static-eliminating brushes. This is an extremely efficient method of static elimination that can instantly eliminate static charges of several thousand to several tens of thousands of volts down to several hundred to zero volts. However, because it uses corona discharge, it also has the problem that it cannot efficiently neutralize static electricity under conditions with a low potential difference of 3㎸ or less.