So using a shop vac on the dust boot, I was amazed at the amount of static build up and discharge via the rails to me. Is it something that we should be concerned about and potentially ground the rails?
Static is going to build with the plastic type suction hoses so I don’t think we can avoid that but would hate to see a shift to having controller issues as well due to it.
Thoughts? Maybe this is normal and expected with all consumer machines?
Static electricity in Vacuum hoses has been a concern for woodworkers for years. There are tons of resources online and products you can buy with grounding elements inside hoses etc.
I’ve seen a spark ignite a vac bin before, it can and does happen. If is is something that concerns you I would suggest searching on Google and YouTube the ways others have mitigated the risk.
For me personally, I just roll the dice (probably not the safest approach) but I try and do what I can to keep the dust bin emptied, keep my solvents etc in a different part of the garage in cases there every was a fire. So I would say you have to do what makes you safest and most comfortable, but it is “normal” as you invite air flow against plastic baffles in a hose and electricity will generate… physics are a pain sometimes.
-Alex
Yeah not concerned with the fire risk as much as the static discharge on the controller itself.
I believe both OneFinity and Buildbotics have figured all of that into their setups. Almost every CNC runs dust collection so I’d feel safe that the controller is covered.
Side observation: I know there is already some protection as a stepper motor generates electricity when you move it manually and you can move your OF gantry manually all you want without issue. That was one issue with my X-Carve, if you moved the gantry manually it generated electricity down the USB cord back to the PC and often kicked the USB out of operation until you restarted the PC or switched ports. In my discussions with Inventables I was cautioned that if I moved the gantry manually a lot I should disconnect the PC from the machine to avoid shorting out the electronics… No such issue exists on the OneFinity that I have see or heard of yet.
Hope that helps rest your mind. 
-Alex
I had a huge problem with static electricity on my dust collector, especially when the humidity levels would drop. The way I got rid of the problem was to wrap some wire around the dust collector hose from one end to the other, and attached one end to the dust collector fan housing. That dust collector would generate enough static when it would discharge on me it hurt as well as scared the heck out of me. I was worried that it would happen while I was working with a power tool and end up getting hurt from the distraction of the static discharge and associated flinch. Have not had that happened since I grounded the hose.
Installed dust collection piping today to cnc location and I typically ground ever piece of my equipment back to my dust collection system. If I continue with this practice any suggestions on good grounding location on the cnc at the z axis because that is collection point and I am not sure what is fair game. When I do this grounding do you think in will impact homing?Like @BBStacker I wrapped some wire around the hose. I have seen on Rockler’s websight they sell a anti static hose, but to be honest I have not used it and can’t say if it works or not, but its an option as well.
I use the Rockler 2 1/2 inch hose and I don’t appear to be having a static issue.
I don’t use a dedicated, permanent dust collection system since what I carve generally doesn’t generate that much dust. But it’s still a concern when manually vacuuming after a carve, particularly with certain materials like corian. I discovered some time ago that if I ground myself to the machine when vacuuming, there is no static buildup.
I live in Phoenix, AZ (area) where humidity can be very low BUT not because of freezing weather where water is turned into that white color (snow, frost, etc.)
I use an anti-static hose but also don’t forget to finish the connection. What I mean is make certain you ground your hose. I took copper wire and wire nuts ensuring I have a connection all the way to the metal casing of the dust collector.
This sounds like a good safety to do. I’m in Colorado with very low humidity also. I Ordered the anti-static hose. Would you send a picture of how you grounded the hose please.?
I’ve never understood how a copper wire wrapped around a plastic hose reduces static. The hose is an insulator and, if my high school physics serves me right, will not conduct electricity to the copper wire. At best it will discharge the small area in contact with the wire. Any thoughts? A feel an experiment coming on
Some ‘light’ related reading:
That’s a massive read. I must admit to only giving it a rapid read on my mobile (not ideal). I believe it agrees with my hunch above. I’ll read more later. I may even try an experiment of my own.
Check this out. On the sellers web site they also have a grounding kit.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017Z1RH5C/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
That is why you need to buy anti-static hose that has carbon or some other conductive material Impregnated in the plastic of the hose. This is also why wrapping PVC pipe for dust collection dose not do anything.
Attached is a photo. Essentially, everywhere the anti static hose crosses plastic, I stripped over part of the insulation to ensure a connected across the entire length of the run.
You can see where I stripped the insulation off the anti-static hose to set a good connection with a wire nut. That is hold the remote is a bonus!
KEN, Thanks for the reply and picture. I have my hose on order and will be replacing all the black vacuum hose and doing the grounding. I sure don’t want a fire in my collectors, I have my setup in the basement and don’t want to burn my house down . Thanks again for all the safety information.
Ed
everyone needs to watch this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA22kTtV4XI
I did watch the video and have some comments. I was not trying to eliminate the potential for a dust explosion. I was trying to eliminate my getting zapped in low humidity conditions and what I was trying to achieve worked for me. I have a piece of safety wire that is terminated by attaching it to metal structure at the dust collector. The safety wire I wrapped around the hose for the dust collector and is terminated at the end connector clamp furthest away from the dust collector. This setup seems to dissipate the static electricity that builds up on the outside of the dust collection hose and I no longer get zapped.
One thing I have not worked on is my shop vac dust collector that I normally use with my onefinity. I have one of the Home Depot dust stoppers on top of a homer bucker in line with my shop vac. When the humidity is low, I get zapped by the homer bucket dust stopper. I am not sure how to get a good ground in this situation as everything is plastic, hoses, dust collector and vacuum.
