The need for effective ESD floors for static protection, to eliminate electrostatic charges (the electric charge that rests on the surface of an insulated body that establishes an electrostatic field) from materials and personnel is required in many industries. Damage to the electronic devices especially class 0 ESDS devices (ultra-sensitive devices that are vulnerable to charges as low as 20V) from electrostatic discharge is a common phenomenon in manufacturing, assembly, and testing of electronics. Current electrostatic discharge (ESD) prevention programs need to be improved because of increasing ESD sensitivity. Most ESD programs are predicted on protecting electronics from failures at or above 100 volts, not addressing the performance issues of the class 0 devices which are more vulnerable to ESD. Even ANSI/ESD S20.20-2007, a standard that is designed for the protection of electric and electronic parts, assemblies and equipment, is not able to fully anticipate or adequately prescribe solutions to problems specific to state-of-the-art technology.

In order to understand the ESD failures, one needs to understand the numerous mechanisms that can make an electrostatically charged object to rapidly discharge to another object when both are brought into contact. Electrostatic induction is a phenomenon that refers to a redistribution of electrical charge in an object, caused by the influence (electrostatic field) of nearby charges. Assume that an ESDS device is placed on a grounded table mat in the vicinity of an electric field and lying on or near the mat is a charged object. Because the device is grounded, its voltage is zero. As soon as this ESDS device is lifted from the mat, it loses or picks up electrons around the object. Now, if the charged device touches any other conductor, the discharge is capable of destroying the device.

Voltage suppression is a phenomenon that is used to prevent sensitive electronics from discharging, by raising the capacitance of a charged object. If a material merely suppresses electrostatic field instead of discharging items that are placed on them, then it wouldn\’t be categorized as a voltage suppressor.

Companies around the globe have invested heavily in ESD programs, and their investments paid dividends. Charged-device model (CDM) is a model used by many organizations to characterize the susceptibility of an electronic device to damage from electrostatic discharge. The CDM model is an alternative to the HBM (human-body model) that is a simulation of the discharge which might occur when an individual touches an electronic device. The human-body model (HBM) establishes the necessary test procedures required to model a testing event.

In CDM model, devices are exposed to a charge at a standardized voltage level, and then tested for survival. If the device withstands this voltage level, it is tested at the next level by placing a charged device on a work surface that is too conductive or placing it in highly conductive packaging. If the device passes this test as well, it is tested at the next level and so on, until the device fails. The more tests a device will pass, the more are chances that it will not be picked up and placed down by a non conductive fixture, a static charge or discharge.

The three most common examples of avoiding HBM threats include wrist straps, conductive footwear and ESD flooring. ESD flooring makes a perfect choice for those who are looking for protection from static discharge. Quality ESD flooring, combined with conductive footwear help keep body voltage less than 10 volts, eliminating almost all HBM threats. ESD floors can be tested for HBM discharge by attaching an individual to a charge plate monitor with a wrist strap. The person standing on the floor will move his or her feet periodically to break ground. If the voltage remains at or close to zero when the feet are lifted, the ESD floor is bleeding accumulated charges away from the person. If the subject retains a static charge when the feet are lifted, the ESD floor is just suppressing the charge.

About the Author: Robert Long, Director of Business Development with EP Floors Corp., has over 25 years of experience in the industrial epoxy flooring business. He attends technical training seminars regularly, on the latest ESD flooring innovations, and has managed over a thousand epoxy flooring projects. For more information Robert may be reached at http://www.epfloors.com/ or by email at rlong@EPFloors.com

About the Author: Robert Long, Director of Business Development with EP Floors Corp., has over 25 years of experience in the industrial epoxy flooring business. He attends technical training seminars regularly, on the latest ESD flooring innovations, and has managed over a thousand epoxy flooring projects. For more information Robert may be reached at http://www.epfloors.com/ or by email at rlong@EPFloors.com

Author Bio: About the Author: Robert Long, Director of Business Development with EP Floors Corp., has over 25 years of experience in the industrial epoxy flooring business. He attends technical training seminars regularly, on the latest ESD flooring innovations, and has managed over a thousand epoxy flooring projects. For more information Robert may be reached at http://www.epfloors.com/ or by email at rlong@EPFloors.com

Category: Home Management
Keywords: esd floors, esd epoxy floors, anti static flooring, esd flooring, esd coating, conductive flooring