Planning for a ESD Floor

According to projections of the semiconductor industry, component speed will increase dramatically over the next few years, making electronics, computers and other electronic equipment more fragile than ever before. As a result, these fragile components will be far more sensitive to ESD—commonly known as static electricity.

Component Sensitivity Predicted to Drop to as Little as 25 Volts

The internal protection devices used in earlier electronics designs created robust components. But those protections slowed circuit speed, inhibiting the production of faster, more capable components. The tradeoff for today's faster, higher performance devices is an increased vulnerability to electrical interference. Industry experts predict that component sensitivity, once well over 1000 Volts, will soon drop to as little as 25 Volts.

To safely and dependably manufacture, handle or use these faster, more capable electronics, the floor must not only ground out static charges. It must prevent static events from occurring in the first place.

It Can Happen Anywhere, at Anytime

To protect electronic components from the threat of static discharge, ESD protective measures must be in place at all times, through the manufacturing process and in the field, particularly in areas where the disruption of electronic functioning or loss of sensitive data threatens safety.

Static-Safe Flooring Key to Performance and Quality Control

As each new generation of electronic components becomes faster and more susceptible to static events, patchwork static protection is no longer an option. Anti-static mats, ESD-protective packaging and wrist straps are effective only to a point.

• Once you leave the safety zone or detach the wrist strap, you're no longer grounded—and the electronic equipment you're handling is vulnerable to a static event.
• The floor is the universal contact point in every facility, That's why the safest static control programs begin with a StaticSmart floor.
• StaticSmart floors ionize electrostatic build-up, passing the charge through the flooring material directly to ground.

With a StaticSmart ESD floor you have a continuous ground plane throughout your facility.

Because most high-tech businesses house multiple processes, each with its own individual ESD flooring requirement, satisfying every department can be a challenging task.

To address the diverse needs of their various departments, managers of high tech facilities have begun to combine flooring solutions, often using architects to help them create a functional, attractive and well-integrated environment.

Whatever your needs, StaticSmart can help. We offer flexible ESD flooring options to provide you with the best of class floors for every individual area of your facility. Our StaticSmart representatives are available to help you find the answers to your ESD Flooring questions. Each posess years of experience in ESD Flooring solutions for 911/Call Centers, Government and Electronics Manufacturing environments and are available to help you in selecting the most effective ESD flooring for your application.

Here are some tips to help you select the appropriate ESD flooring for your operational needs.

• Review your static protective needs with a knowledgeable advisor.
• Determine whether the floor will be temporary or permanent and how the floor will be installed.
• Find out whether people who walk on the floor will be wearing regular or ESD protective footwear.
• Learn the difference between computer grade and grounded flooring.
• Learn what to look for on a spec sheet.
• Decide what sort of walking surface you want – soft, hard, shiny, etc.
• Determine peripheral considerations – do you need durability? Sound absorption? Anti-fatigue properties? Resistance to pallets or forklifts? Is cost a significant factor?
• Determine you maintenance budget. Must the floor be low-maintenance or are you willing to buff, wax or perform other maintenance? Always test for moisture, particularly if leaning toward vinyl, rubber or epoxy. Moisture can cause the outright failure of most resilient floors, with problems such as delamination, adhesive breakdown and adhesive oozing. High moisture can also lead to the development of molds and bacteria, which contribute to sick building syndrome. The test for moisture permeation is easy and inexpensive. Reputable contractors and suppliers will usually supply ASTM approved test kits for moisture evaluation.
• When evaluating price, be sure to add all peripheral expenses, including moisture protection and vapor barriers, as well as the cost of maintenance and repair to the total cost of the floor.

Got Static? Get Smart.

Call 978.276.0820 or email info@julieindustries.com for more information about our wide ranging selection of attractive static control ESD Flooring.