Professional ESD Services

Transforming Technologies provides comprehensive knowledge of electrostatic issues, effective solution-oriented products and outstanding, friendly service.

 Because customer needs periodically include requirements for consultation, training, auditing or verification, we offer Professional ESD Services such as trainings or audits.

Please contact us for more information on our professional services and insure that your static control program is as effective and efficient as possible.

Contact us today for more information on ESD professional services

 

3719 King Road
Toledo, OH 43617

(419)841-9552
(419)841-3241 fax
info@transforming-technologies.com

Introducing Transforming Technologies ESD Mat Selection Guide

Whether it be an ESD Table Mat or an ESD Floor Mat, making the best choice can be difficult. With the help of our new ESD Mat Selection Guide, we have condensed all the selection criteria such as material construction, resistance ranges, surface, color, style, or size into two separate charts for your convenience.

Floor Mat Selection Guide

ESD Floor Mat Selection Guide

All of our floor mats may be enhanced by a person(s) use of any of our heel grounders to ensure maximum groundability.

Table Mat Selection Guide

ESD Table Mat Selection Guide

Bring your ESD workstation to its optimal level by complementing your table mat surface with any of our ionizers, wristband sets, or constant monitors.

For price and availability on table and/or floor matting, 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.

Ionizers remove static from surfaces that cannot be grounded. You will find two common types: AC or Alternating Current and DC or Direct Current. This presentation reviews the pros and cons of each technology and will help you decide which ionizer will work best for your application.

For more information, contact Transforming Technologies 419-841-9552.

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.

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

Question: What type of instrument should I use to measure the resistance on our conveyor belt?

Answer:

Hello Tim,

Thank you for taking the time to submit your question to Transforming Technologies.

You will want to use a surface resistance meter with a 2.27 Kg (5lb) electrode, such as the SRM500K, for the measurement. For a flat belt conveyor, you can put the electrode on the conveyor belt and measure the resistance to equipment ground. For an edge belt conveyor, place a metal plate on the conveyor and measure the resistance from the plate to equipment ground. You may want to isolate one side of the plate from the belt to make sure that each belt is grounded.

Transforming Technologies will answer questions concerning all things ESD: static causes, threats,  ESD prevention, best practices and all things static in a feature we call ESD Q&A.  If you have ESD questions that you would like to be answered, email info@transforming-technologies.com  with Q&A in the subject line.

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

Question: What measurement or measurements do I need to make when auditing an ESD worksurface?

Answer:

Hello Paul,

Thank you for taking the time to submit your question to Transforming Technologies.

There are three primary measurements for evaluating a work surface; Resistance Point to Point (RTT – also known as Resistance Top to Top), Resistance to Groundable Point (RTGP) and Resistance to Ground (RTG).

Figure 1 – Resistance To Ground (RTG)

Resistance to Ground Measurement

For general auditing purposes, the primary measurement is RTG. This measurement is made using a 5 lb electrode connected to the positive terminal of the resistance meter. The electrode is placed on the work surface in the most heavily used area. The negative lead is connected to electrical ground. This measurement assures that the mat is connected to AC Equipment Ground. ESD standard procedure says to test at 10 volts, and if the measurement exceeds 1.0 x 10⁶ ohms, switch to 100 volts. If you are certain that your worksurface material has a resistance greater than 1.0 x 10⁶ ohms, you may want to start at 100 volts to save time.

A simple and safe way to connect to AC Ground is by using a grounding plug, such as the Transforming Technologies AD22. The AD22 assures a solid connection to the third wire ground of an AC outlet, while insulating the plug from the hot and neutral wires. Always check electrical outlets for proper wiring before using grounding plugs.

If the resulting RTG measurement is within your required limits, no further work surface testing is required and you can proceed to the next work surface. Should the RTG measurement exceed your limits, clean the work surface with an approved cleaning product, check all wiring connections to make sure that they are secure and re-test. Should the measurements still exceed your limits you will then want to conduct a Resistance to Groundable Point (RTGP) measurement.

Figure 2 – Resistance Point To Groundable Point (RTGP)

Resistance to Groundable Point Measurement

This measurement is similar to the RTG measurement except that the negative lead is attached to the grounding point (snap) of the work surface. The testing is performed using 100 volts when the expected resistance is greater than 1.0 x 10⁶ ohms.

Should this measurement provide a reading that is within your requirements the problem is somewhere between the snap and AC Ground. Typically, either the ground wire became disconnected or it is faulty. Check and verify all wiring between the work surface and the AC equipment ground.

If this measurement also provides a value that exceeds your requirements, then there may be a problem with the work surface. A point-to-point resistance measurement can be done to verify the performance of the work surface material.

Figure 3 – Resistance Point To Point (RTT)

RTT – Resistance Point-to-Point

This measurement is made using two 5 lb electrodes. The electrodes are placed 10” apart on the work surface in various locations. Figure 3 is an example of a point-to-point test.

The testing is performed using 100 volts when the expected resistance is greater than 1.0 x 10⁶ ohms.

If the reading meets your requirements, there is possibly a connection problem with the groundable point. Should the reading exceed your limits the work surface is likely faulty and should be replaced.

It is important that RTG measurements be made regularly. The frequency of testing is dependent up on internal requirements and testing history. RTG testing must be performed even if constant monitoring is in place, as constant monitors verify ground connection of the worksurface, but not the performance of the worksuface.

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

Question: Is there really a need for an ESD wastebasket?

Answer:

Hello Stephanie,

Thank you for taking the time to submit your question to Transforming Technologies.

It is fair to wonder why there is a need for ESD wastebaskets. If the basket resides underneath a workstation and stays there permanently, the need may not exist. It is extremely unlikely that a wastebasket that stays underneath a workstation could present a danger to ESD sensitive devices, regardless of the field voltage that may exist on the basket.

There are a number of circumstances however, when the wastebasket could present a significant hazard to electronic products. The following are just a few examples of potentially risky scenarios:

Work surface cleaning:   The operator lifts the wastebasket to the edge of the work station to collect the debris being removed. Should product be present on the work surface and not contained in a shielding container, there is a good opportunity for exposure to electrostatic fields that exceed safe limits.

Lead trimming/board cleaning operations:   When trimming component leads or using aerosol cleaners on PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards), some operators will hold the PCB over the wastebasket to catch the clippings or solvent run-off. Many times the PCB will be placed well into the waste container to assure catching the unwanted materials. This operation puts PCBs and ESD sensitive devices very close to potentially significant electrostatic fields.

Aisle proximity:  Some wastebaskets have been observed in close proximity to production floor aisles where product transfer carts pass or may be parked. ANSI/ESD S2020 requires items that generate 2000 volts or more (measured at 1” from the item) be kept at least 12” from ESD sensitive devices. Using ESD wastebaskets eliminates the risk of carts being parked next to static generating baskets.

While company ESD policies may prohibit some of the actions mentioned above, it does not mean that they will not occur from time to time. ESD wastebaskets provided assurance that the wastebasket will never be an ESD threat to your product.

Transforming Technologies offers ESD wastebaskets in static dissipative polypropylene and in stainless steel for clean room operations. If a liner is to be used for easier maintenance, Transforming Technologies offers them in both conductive and static dissipative.

WBAS 28

• Volume: 28 Quart (7 gallon)
• Height: 15″, Opening: 10.5″ X 14.75″
• Carbon Loaded

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

Question: When measuring ESD Mat resistance, I have noticed that the resistance measures higher on some of my older ESD rubber mats when using 10V and will sometimes be greater than 10^9 ohms. Switching to 100V will lower the resistance into the green, passable range(less than 10^9 ohms). If the mat passes at 100V, is that sufficient to give the mat a pass? When should I use 10 volts vs. 100 volts?

Answer:

Hello John,

Thank you for submitting your question to Transforming Technologies.

Industry standards specify the test voltage required when testing or verifying ESD control items (i.e. mats).    For verification of mats, or work surfaces, you can reference the ESD Association TR53 Compliance Verification document.  This is a free download at www.esda.org.   (select the Standards tab and scroll down to TR53).

The following rule applies for resistance testing of ESD control items:

Perform the test at 10 volts.   If the resistance is < 1.0 x 106 ohms record the reading.

If the measurement at 10 volts is ≥1.0 x 106 ohms, switch to 100 volts, make your measurement and record the result.

Most ESD mat materials are designed to have a resistance greater than 1.0 x 106 ohms, so you can start your testing at 100 volts.  In the example that you stated, the mat that you tested meets the requirements.  If you are seeing the values creep higher it would be wise to test the older mats more frequently to verify that they are still under 1.0 x 109 ohms.

Every Thursday, Transforming Technologies will answer questions concerning all things ESD: static causes, threats,  ESD prevention, best practices and all things static in a feature we call ESD Q&A.  If you have ESD questions that you would like to be answered, email info@transforming-technologies.com  with Q&A in the subject line.

Question:  What materials are the biggest cause ESD damage?

Answer:  Plastics and other synthetic materials cause the most trouble because they are insulators and trap charges on their surfaces.

Materials that are insulators hold an electric charge and cannot easily transfer the charge and cannot be grounded to earth by common means.  Conductors are just the opposite.  They are materials that easily transfer a charge.  Examples are metals, water, carbon and people. Understanding insulators and conductors is an important part of creating an ESD action plan.