September, 2020
www.us-tech.com
Antistatic Flooring’s Role in Protecting Against ESD
By Joe Berkowitz, Sales Director, SelecTech, Inc. E
lectrostatic discharge (ESD) is the sudden flow of electricity between two charged objects,
due to contact, an electrical short or dielectric breakdown. A buildup of static electricity can be caused by electrostatic induction. ESD occurs when differently
charge objects are brought close together or when the dielectric between them breaks down, often resulting in a visible spark. ESD is measured in volts (V) or kilovolts (kV), where 1 kV is equal to 1,000V. Static is generated when two
materials make contact and then separate. This can occur even when walking across “normal” floors (any- where from 2 to 12 kV) or when cloth- ing rubs against furniture or skin. ESD is especially dangerous in
the electronics manufacturing indus- try, since it takes as little as 25V to damage an electronic component or disrupt data. To guard against ESD, antistatic flooring is available, which can be made of various materials and used across a broad range of indus- tries.
Common materials include
vinyl, used in electronics manufac- turing facilities and warehouses, car- peting for offices, rubber for labs and cleanrooms, and epoxy, which can be
ESD is especially dangerous in the
electronics manufacturing industry, since it takes as little as 25V to damage an electronic component or disrupt data.
used in any critical applications. True ESD-rated products limit
the amount of static generated and carry static electricity to the ground. However, the floor must be connected to the ground to work properly and people walking on it must wear con- ductive footwear.
Measuring ESD Protection ESD-rated flooring materials
are judged by their static propensity and by their electrical resistance. Propensity relates to the amount of static generated when the floor is walked on. This is measured in kV and tested by using the ANSI/ESD STM 97.2; AATCC 134 method for floor materials and footwear — volt- age measurement in combination with a person. Typical ratings include antista-
tic carpet, 3 kV, conductive or ESD carpet, 0.1 kV, and conductive or ESD hard surfaces, less than 0.02 kV (20V).
Electrical resistance is a meas-
ure of the floor’s performance when conducting electricity to the ground. This is measured in Ohms by using the ANSI/ESD S7.1 method for floor materials — characterization of materials. This is the standard test meth -
od for measuring the resistance of the flooring. It measures resistance of material from point to point and from point to ground. The lower the resistance, the higher the conduc- tivity.
Methods of Grounding There are two main ways to
ground an ESD floor: a copper strip embedded in conductive adhesive and a grounding cord that is physi- cally attached to the floor tile. In order to ground ESD flooring,
StaticStop’s FreeStyle ESD floors can be installed quickly, and are not sensitive to moisture like other flooring.
it must be connected to ground to ensure that charges bleed away. For tiles (both carpet and hard surface), each tile must be electrically connect- ed. The conductive adhesives must
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