Author: epuszczewicz

How to Choose an ESD Floor Mat

Choosing An ESD Floor is an Important Step in Eliminating ESD Damage

An ESD Floor mat is a very important part of a Static Protected Area.  ESD mats are designed to eliminate static on its surface and of people standing upon it.   A conductive material embedded within the mat draws in all the static and sends it to ground (earth). This is usually accomplished by connecting the mat to ground (typically the center screw of an outlet) with a floor mat ground cord. It’s important to wear ESD footwear such as heel grounders or ESD shoes when using an ESD floor mat, otherwise the static will stay on the body.

A quick search online or in ESD catalogs reveal a myriad of ESD floor mat options. What are the main considerations in choosing an ESD mat?

1. Intended Use: Where are you putting the floor mat? Different styles work best in different locations.
2. Material: Are you trying to protect your floors from wear-and-tear? The floor mat material makes a difference.
3. ESD Properties: Not all ESD floor mats have the same ESD properties.

ESD Mats: Intended Use

ESD mats are generally found in three categories:  Anti-Fatigue, Floor Runners and Floor Tiles.  The type you choose depends on the intended use:  Will people be standing on them for long periods of time? Choose an ESD Anti-Fatigue Mat.   Do you need to cover the floor?  Will wheeled carts need to roll over them?  Choose a ESD Floor Runner.  Do you have a large are to cover? ESD Floor Tiles may be your answer.

ESD Mats: Anti-Fatigue Matting

ESD Anti-fatigue mats, research shows, make a more comfortable worker, which makes a more productive worker with fewer injuries and increased productivity! ESD Anti-fatigue comfort mats are essential where workers stand to help ease leg, foot, and lower back fatigue and pain. Anti-fatigue mats come in a variety of styles and thicknesses to meet your needs and budget.  Some are made from spongy foam material that is soft to the touch and others are made from rubber that may feel hard at first.  You need to stand on a mat for an extended period of time to truly evaluate it. You may have to try our several different types to find the style you prefer.

ESD Mats: Floor Runners

“Floor runner” is a term that is used to describe mats that are long and narrow and that cover large areas.   ESD Floor runners are typically found in building entrances, hallways, and in front of long workstations.  They are usually thin so as not to be a trip hazard and provide little, to no anti-fatigue comfort. Common ESD Floor runners may have a V-Groove or a smooth surface. Some runners are designed to be durable and ridged enough to to be used with rolling ESD chairs.

ESD Mats: Floor Tiles

In some applications, it is preferable to cover a large section of a floor or the entire room with ESD matting.  ESD tiles are used like puzzle pieces, interlocking together to build out large floors.  ESD tiles can come in laminate, vinyl or rubber tiles. Laminate tiles are usually thin and ridged and many types require you to glue them down. Rubber tiles can be larger and thick and provide anti-fatigue properties.  Some vinyl tiles are extremely durable, able to withstand forklifts.  A benefit of non-glued down ESD tiles is that they can be disassembled and reconfigured or moved to a new location.

ESD Mats: Composition:

ESD floor mats are usually made from vinyl or rubber.  Vinyl mats may be softer and less expensive, but are less durable than rubber mats. The most durable mats are made from rubber in which a single layer is molded into shape. Some floor mats use both: a durable rubber top layer and a spongy vinyl bottom.  These mats may sound like the best of both worlds, but tend to delaminate over time and fall apart.  Thickness, texture, and cushioning of the mat are also concerns depending on the application.  Regardless of composition, all mats should meet or exceed the requirements of ANSI ESD-S20.20 (see below).

ESD Mats: Electrical Performance:

All static control mats are not created equally. The terms insulative, conductive, and dissipative are all terms that subdivide ESD materials based on their individual surface resistance. Surface resistance is a measurement of how easily an electric charge can travel across a medium (Visit here to learn How To Test ESD Mats). For most applications, ESD floor mats should be in the conductive range.  Floor mats can become dirty over time which effects their ESD properties, so you want to start with a conductive mat to ensure you are grounded. Conductive materials have a surface resistance of less than 1 x 10^ 5 ohms/square. Dissipative items have a surface resistance of more than 1 x 10^ 5 ohms/square but less than 1 x10 ^11 ohms/square. An insulative material is one that has a surface resistance of greater than 1 x 10 ^12 ohms/square.

ESD Mats: Sizes:

ESD floor mats typically come in workstation sized mats such as 2’x3’ and 3’x5’, interlocking sections or in long rolls.  The material is easy to cut and has a long shelf life so if you have more than one area to cover or expansion is a possibility, purchase a full roll and cut pieces as needed.  Many suppliers also provide ready-to-use pre-cut mats with grounding hardware already installed.  These mats can be more expensive, but it can also be a great time saver.

Conclusion:

When choosing an ESD mat, first use your specific application to narrow your choices, such as mat material and electrical properties.  Carefully plan and budget your workstation so that you can choose to purchase a full roll or a pre-cut mat.  Finally, do not let cost dictate your decision – saving a few dollars on low-quality matting could have very costly consequences via catastrophic damage, latent failures and customer complaints.

For help choosing your ESD mat, please call Transforming Technologies at 419-841-9552 or email info@transforming-technologies.com

View Transforming Technologies ESD Floor Mats here:
http://mx.transforming-technologies.com/esd-floor-mats/

Transforming Technologies is proud to announce the addition of the VinylSTAT ESD Chair Mat and Runners to our line of ESD Products.

Transforming Technologies VinylStat FM7 chair mats are the perfect solution for grounding chairs in an office or manufacturing environment. It is made of a rigid conductive vinyl that protects carpets from wear and tear while providing a path-to-ground for static charges.

Features:
The FM7 mats are a single layer of conductive vinyl, 0.090” thick, die cut to fit under typical desks. Surface resistivity is 10^3 – 10^6. Meets or exceeds requirements of ANSI ESD-S20.20 and the recommendations of ESD STM7.1.

Benefits of the Transforming Technologies VinylStat FM7ESD Matting:

• Die cut rigid conductive matting allows chairs to be grounded
• High levels of flexibility
• Mat can be used in areas subjected to heavy traffic, most liquids & withstand wear and tear.

Specifications of the Transforming Technologies conductive Comfort GEL ESD Matting:

• Surface resistivity is 10^3 – 10^6. Meets or exceeds requirements of ANSI ESD-S20.20 and the recommendations of ESD STM7.1.

VinylSTAT Conductive Runner

VinylSTAT Chair Mat

 For price and availability on the FM7 Conductive Runners or for information on any products in Transforming Technologies full line of ESD products, please call 419-841-9552 or email info@transforming-technologies.com.

This week’s ESD Q&A question comes from StaticCare reader Gina, she asks:

Question: What would be the the advantages or disadvantages of using a single wire or dual wire monitor?

Answer:

Hello Gina,

This is a good question.

Single wire monitors work on capacitance or inductance and use single wire wrist straps.  They send a signal

The CM410 is a One Operator and Bench Single Wire Continuous Monitor.

down the wire to the wrist strap and expects to encounter some capacitance (approximately that of a person).  If there is a mass indicated at the end of the coil cord, the monitor assumes that the person is connected.

These systems work okay, but they can be fooled.  Some people have dry skin and do not make good contact with the wrist strap.  The single wire monitors are not able to detect if the person is actually electrically connected.

Dual wire monitors are resistance based and they use dual wire wrist straps.  They send a voltage up one wire and expect to receive a signal back from the second wire.   The wrist strap is divided and it relies on the operator’s skin to close the loop.   When this happens you can be assured that the operator is connected and that voltage is being drained through the wrist strap.   If the operator’s skin is dry and does not allow for the current to flow from one side of the strap to the other, the alarm will sound.

CM1602 is a One Operator and Bench Dual Wire Continuous Monitor

Dual wire monitoring is the only true wrist strap monitoring technology available. Single wire systems simply detect that a person is wearing a wrist strap and put the monitor into an unalarmed state. Resistance monitors actually measure the resistance of the wrist strap in combination with the person and alarm if the product exceeds preset levels. This accurate measurement ensures reliability.

Transforming Technologies is proud to announce the addition of the TileSTAT Interlocking Anti-Fatigue ESD Tiles to our line of ESD products.

TileSTAT Interlocking ESD Rubber Anti-FatigueTiles

TileSTAT Interlocking Rubber Anti-Fatigue ESD Tiles are a heavy duty, durable safety mat constructed of conductive nitrile rubber for use in even the harshest environments. TileSTAT mats feature a solid pebble embossed surface for improved traction, making this a good choice as a safety mat. The 3ft x 3ft interlocking mats fit together like a puzzle to create custom ESD workstations or complete room systems. The mats can be quickly dismantled to make moving and cleaning easy. Optional beveled borders can be added to the mats.

Meets or exceeds requirements of ANSI ESD-S20.20 and the recommendations of ESD STM7.1

Benefits & Features of the Transforming Technologies TileSTAT Anti-Fatigue ESD Tiles:

• 100% conductive rubber: 10^4-10^6
• Solid top design for use in wet or dry locations
• Interlocking sections snap together to easily create custom workstations
• Optional yellow beveled borders for safety

Specifications of the Transforming Technologies conductive TileSTAT Anti-Fatigue ESD Tiles:

• Point-to-point resistance: 10^4-10^6
• Surface: Solid Top Pebble Emboss
• Meets or exceeds requirements of ANSI ESD-S20.20 and the recommendations of ESD STM7.

TileSTAT Interlocking Anti-Fatigue ESD Tiles

TileSTAT Interlocking Anti-Fatigue ESD Tiles (Underside)

TileSTAT Interlocking Anti-Fatigue ESD Tiles w/ Yellow Beveled Edges

For price and availability on the TileSTAT Interlocking Anti-Fatigue Tiles or for information on any products in Transforming Technologies full line of ESD products, please call 419-841-9552 or email info@transforming-technologies.com.

Microscopes are used for inspection and assembly of very small objects and are common instruments in electronic assembly operations.   It is critical that the microscope lenses remain clear and free of dust and other contamination and should be covered when not in use to protect the optics. Some manufactures of microscopes provide covers for the time when the scopes are not in use.  Typically the covers are made of vinyl.  While vinyl may provide good protection from dust and fumes, it is a significant static generator.

Common Vinyl Microscope Covers Generate a Significant Static Charge:

Static charge on vinyl covers is a problem in two ways: It may cause ESD damage to sensitive components and the static will attract dust which is a problem for the microscope. We measured a vinyl cover with a static field meter:

The vinyl cover in the photo above shows an electrostatic voltage of -5,500 volts.   Once the cover is removed from the scope the voltage jumps even higher to -12,000 volts.

ANSI/ESD S2020, the industry standard for ESD control programs, states that all nonessential insulators should be removed from the ESD protected area.

Since it is critical that microscopes be covered when not in use, it could be argued that the microscope cover is a process essential insulator.  ANSI/ESD S2020, Section 8.3.1 states that the ESD control program “shall include a plan for handling process required insulators in order to mitigate field induced CDM damage.”

The standard goes on to say that if the field is greater than 2000 volts/inch it must be kept more than 12” from the ESD sensitive item.   If the microscope is not in use, but work on ESD sensitive devices is being performed at the station, the vinyl scope cover becomes a significant risk.   The vinyl cover becomes even a greater risk if it is removed while there are ESD sensitive items at the workstation.

ESD Microscope Covers Are Static-Safe:

The best solution is to replace the vinyl cover with a microscope cover that is ESD safe, such as the Transforming Technologies MC1221W.   This scope cover is constructed of ESD safe material and does not generate a significant charge.

Even when the cover is removed, the charge remains very low and does not present an ESD threat to sensitive components in the area:

With Transforming Technologies’ MC1221W you can protect your microscope optics from contamination while keeping your work station ESD safe.

Email Transforming Technologies to protect your microscope with our Microscope Covers

Transforming Technologies has ESD versions of  other common items that can cause damage in electronics manufacturing:

• ESD Trash Cans
• ESD Pens
• ESD Rubber Bands
• ESD Sheet Protectors
• ESD Badge Holders

Transforming Technologies is proud to announce the addition of the StaticCare ESD Hand Lotion to our line of ESD Products.

Transforming Technologies is proud to announce the addition of the WB5600 Series Anti-Allergy Wrist Strap Set to our line of ESD Products.

Transforming Technologies is proud to announce the addition of the IN4000PE Flexible Neck Ionizing Nozzle to our line of ESD Products.

For price and availability on the IN4000PE Flexible Neck Ionizing Nozzle or for information on any products in Transforming Technologies full line of ESD products, please call 419-841-9552 or email info@transforming-technologies.com.