Are ESD Mats Necessary?

ESD Mats are primarily used to prevent damage to electronic circuit boards and other electronic products by electrostatic charges. Static control is critical in the electronics assembly and manufacturing process.

 

An ESD safe work area is only as good as its weakest link. any vulnerability in an ESD sensitive environment can cause damage to the conductive chain.

Facial Tissue Folding Machine to prevent damage to electronic circuit boards and other electronic products by electrostatic charges. Static control is critical in the electronics assembly and manufacturing process.

 

What is ESD and how is it created?

ESD stands for Electrostatic Discharge ( ESD ).

ESD is a sudden discharge between two electrically charged objects. The transfer of electrons from one surface to another can be caused by walking, rubbing or sliding on the material.

For example, static electricity is generated when we simply walk on a carpet or touch another person's clothing. We touch a metal doorknob and sometimes hear a knocking sound! Many surfaces conduct static electricity and need to be controlled. We can't see the transfer of electricity, which is an invisible threat.

 

 

What are the dangers of ESD (electrostatic discharge)?

Manufacturing facilities that produce electronic components or data centers where mainframes are located must take special care to control electrostatic discharges, which can cause considerable, often permanent, damage.

Not only do electronic components need to be protected; even employees need to be protected from electrostatic discharge.

There is also the risk of flammable materials (such as chemicals or gases) catching fire if struck by an electrical spark.

 

Why are anti-static mats and anti-static floor mats important?

Electrostatic shocks may not seem so serious at first glance, and the experience of receiving a mild electric shock after walking across a carpet is familiar to everyone. Certainly unpleasant, but hardly a major problem, is it?

However, sensitive components and control groups in electronic equipment can be damaged or destroyed. If these components fail or provide incorrect signals during operation, this can lead to even greater damage.

The possible effects of sparks during electrostatic discharge may be much greater. In environments with gases or highly flammable solvents, this can lead to solvent combustion or even explosion.

Even a minor electrical shock can be fatal.

Conductive floor mats and bench mats are used in industries where static charges can be a problem or cause a fire or explosion.

 

Where and how are ESD mats used?

Many work environments are at risk, which is why anti-static mats and accessories for floors or workbenches are essential. These products help to effectively control ESD, especially for sensitive components and worker protection.

ESD mats redirect static charges to the floor, but they must be "static dissipative" or "conductive" and must also be grounded through ESD accessories such as shoe grounding straps, wrist straps and coiled cables to be effective.

 

If I have a grounded workstation, do I need an ESD mat?

When using an ESD pad on a grounded workstation, grounding of the ESD pad is not required. However, it is not 100% safe. As we explain below, any damage to the ESD pad or dust/residue on the surface can compromise its electrical characteristics. For example, the ESD pad connected to the workstation ground nut. Or, it can have its own wire from the snap to its own ground.

Sometimes, the ground wire can fail. Unless you test and monitor the static properties of your workstation daily, connection errors may not be detected until the device is damaged. This is why having a separately grounded device is preferred, but not required. The safest option is to use a separately grounded power supply.

 

Problems that can occur when ESD pads are not grounded.

ESD work surfaces provide a permanent solution for portable ESD pads. 

It is not necessary to use ESD pads on ESD work surfaces, but ESD work surfaces should always be grounded to a common ground point.

Dragging heavy objects on the surface, abrasion or cuts, chemical cleaners, or direct heat caused by soldering or reworking may cause the ESD mat to degrade.

In any case, the soft nature of rubber ESD table mats provides a soft surface for electronic components that might otherwise be damaged by subtle or repeated impacts to the work surface.

 

What are the differences between ESD mats and anti-static mats?

The terms anti-static and ESD (or Electrostatic Discharge/Discharge) often cause confusion and not only when it comes to workplace mats.

Every ESD mat is anti-static but not every anti-static mat can be called an ESD mat. Although both terms relate to resistance, there are fundamental differences between the two.

It's a bit like the zebra and the horse, every zebra is a horse but not every horse is a zebra.

 

We specialize in ESD bench mats, ESD table mats, ESD floor mats, ESD anti-fatigue mats, ESD floor mats, ESD foam mats, and the accessories you need to set up your assembly line. We can custom cut and fabricate special kits to meet your specific requirements. Most of our ESD mat kits include an ESD mat, wrist strap, and ground wire.