An Overview of ESD Flooring

Many industries require effective ESD flooring to ensure static protection and eliminate electrostatic charges. Such floors are quite effective in controlling static discharge that can cause significant injury, financial loss and damage in electronic assembly and test areas. This flooring is also recommended for processing, flammable storage and munitions areas.

The sudden flow of electricity caused by contact between two electrically charged objects is known as electrostatic discharge. Majority of ESD events cause no harm; however, in industrial environment they can be an expensive problem.

Low voltage ESD events occur in many electronic devices due to which, manufacturers of such devices are incorporating measures to prevent such events. By installing ESD floors and making the employees wear ESD control footwear, companies have been able to ensure that the electrostatic discharge goes into the ground instead of the device the employee is working on.

Charges as low as 20V can damage class 0 ESDS devices that are ultra sensitive. Damage caused by electrostatic discharge to such devices has become a common phenomenon in assembly, manufacturing and testing of electronics.

Considering the increase in sensitivity to this unwanted electric current, it has become important for companies to improve their existing ESD prevention programs. Improvement is necessary because majority of these programs are focused on protecting electronic devices from failures and not addressing the performance issues of class 0 devices that are vulnerable to electrostatic discharge.

Heavy investments are being made by companies in such programs. For instance, CDM (Charged-device model) is being used by many organizations for characterizing susceptibility of electronic devices to damage from discharge of the current.

Alkalinity level in the substrate and moisture can result in the failure of this type of flooring. Level of moisture in EDS floors should not be higher than 3lb per 1000 square feet per 24 hours. Problem of moisture and alkalinity can be solved by filling cracks before the flooring is installed. It can also be avoided by levelling, installation of vapour barriers and patching of sub-floor.

It can be expensive to maintain and repair this type of flooring. Vacuuming is required on a regular basis along with wet extraction. Wet extraction should be done on a yearly basis because this type of flooring is vulnerable to stains. If a company has installed rubber ESD flooring, it will require scrubbing periodically so that the shine is maintained for a long time. Regular cleaning is also required for epoxy ESD floors.

Whether you are planning to buy Acousto, acoustic vinyl for super sound insulation and increased underfoot comfort or ESD floor, it is important to choose a reputed manufacturer. Special attention is required when choosing ESD floorS. Only a reputed company with trained and certified applicators should be contacted. This will help ensure that improper flooring conditions are easily identified before installation.

This type of floor should bring down static electricity even in case of relative humidity. Therefore, it becomes important to contact the supplier and ensure the floor’s performance will be good even in dry conditions.

Summary

Whether you are buying Acousto or ESD flooring, it is very important to choose a reputed manufacturer for best results.