Not All Vacuum Cleaners are Created Equal

Keeping electronic equipment and production equipment clean is very important to its longevity and lifespan. Computers, Copiers, Printers, Data-+centers, Gaming Machines, Medical Equipment such as MRI, CAT Scan and X-ray, Pick n Place SMT Machines, Banking Machines, Robotics, Dispensing Equipment, and many others are all susceptible to dust, dirt and debris, affecting performance and uptime.

The major contributing factor to electronic equipment failure is heat. Consequently, a dirty machine produces much more heat while operating. Without proper maintenance and vacuuming, the life span of your equipment is shortened, ultimately costing you money. An inexpensive way to keep your equipment running properly is to periodically clean and vacuum the dust, dirt and debris.

Keep in mind that not all vacuums are created equal.

Some vacuums do not have the filtration required to hold the small dust and debris, allowing the dirt to come back into the environment that you are trying to keep clean. Secondly, most vacuums create dangerous static electricity. This static electricity can damage sensitive electronics within the equipment, causing failures and downtime. To eliminate this issue, there are a few companies that manufacture vacuums to specifically deal with static electricity issues.

These vacuums are called and referred to by many different names, including ESD Safe Vacuum, Static Safe Vacuum and Electronic Vacuum. These types of vacuums are manufactured with ESD Safe Hoses and Utensils.

In addition, and most importantly, these vacuums provide a safe pathway for static electricity to travel. As long as the 3 wire power cord is plugged into a properly grounded outlet, these specialty vacuums drain the dangerous static electricity to ground. Professionals from companies such as IBM, Hewlett Packard, Xerox, Unisys, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Siemens and Philips, etc. use these vacuums to keep their equipment running properly. By cleaning your equipment with a vacuum cleaner that is built with excellent filtration capabilities and specifically designed to control static, companies save money by reducing heat and static electricity issues.

Atrix International, Inc. and 3M are two companies that manufacture vacuums that offer complete ESD Safety along with fine particulate filtration to handle dust, dirt, toner, and also offer HEPA filtration options.

Atrix manufactures three models; Express Plus, Omega (Plus and Supreme Plus) and High Capacity. 3M manufactures one model; 3M Service Vacuum. Atrix’s Express Plus ESD safe vacuum is an economical, compact and lightweight vacuum.

The Express Plus is as powerful as the larger service vacuums, and offers all the same features to safely clean in and around static sensitive equipment. The Atrix Omega Supreme HEPA electronic vacuum is the “Cadillac” of service vacuums.

This ESD safe vacuum comes equipped with a true HEPA filter and powerful 1,000 hour energy-conserving motor. The vacuum comes with a 6′ ESD safe stretch hose, 16″ ESD safe flexible wand, and an ESD safe crevice tool. Atrix’s High Capacity ESD safe vacuum is the economical choice when vacuuming large volumes of waste.

The High Capacity vacuum has a 5 gallon dry particulate filter which is ideal when dealing with large volume printer, copier/printer refurbishing, and laser cartridge recycling and re-manufacturing. For more information on Atrix’s ESD vacuums please visit Atrix ESD vacuums