Guidelines for Enhancing Staticide Dry Times
Staticide® anti-static topicals are a great solution for resolving a myriad of static control problems. Staticide is available in blends depending on the material that needs to be treated. While ACL Staticide typically recommends General Purpose Staticide on non-porous surfaces and Heavy Duty Staticide on porous surfaces, sometimes Heavy Duty can be the versatile choice on plastics because the anti-stat concentration allows it to be diluted with the user’s solvent of choice. Dry times are important when choosing the right product.
A Closer Look
The General Purpose Staticide for non-porous material is mostly water, so the dry time should be about the same as if it were water. In atmospheres with high relative humidity, Staticide, like water, will take longer to dry. Simply adding a fan to move the air around the treated part will improve the dry time. A blow dryer can be used, but avoid adding heat as the anti-stat may burn and turn to ash. The damage that could be caused may not be visible, but overheating a surface might prevent the anti-static particle from decaying a static charge effectively. If using a blow dryer, keep the setting on air only (no heat). If using a drying tunnel with forced air, use the fans only.
If a speedier dry time is required on non-porous surfaces, use the Heavy Duty Staticide, and dilute it with isopropyl alcohol and distilled water. The alcohol will flash off quicker than water alone and improve the spreading of the anti-stat. Be sure to use the purest isopropyl alcohol available. If using water as part of the solvent blend, we recommend using distilled, as it is less likely to add contaminants. Deionized or reverse osmosis are the next best choices for water.
When diluting the Heavy Duty Staticide, use 1 part Heavy Duty Staticide to 1.5 parts solvent. Isopropyl alcohol may be used for the full 1.5 part, but it is still possible to use a blend of water and alcohol to achieve a quicker dry time. It is important to note that the flammability of the solution will increase as more isopropyl alcohol is introduced into the product. The more isopropyl alcohol, the higher the flammability, so storage concerns would have to be considered.
Tackle static control issues with ACL’s General Purpose and Heavy Duty Staticide. Both products are available in 4-oz, quart, gallon, pail, and drum sizes. Request a sample today at info@aclstaticide.com.