ESD prevention and protection
09/01/2008
Compiled by Carrie Meadows
No matter where you sit, stand, or walk, or what you wear in a critical, clean environment, eliminating electrostatic discharge is a top consideration. To eliminate shocking results, here’s a sampling of ESD prevention and protection products.
Static control blow-off gun
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The durable 190 HP (90803-11080) ionization gun is designed for applications with a large coverage area or drying and cooling requirements such as for circuit board applications. The 10 to 1 boost from the venturi also makes the 190 HP a very energy and compressed air efficient static control blow-off gun. The 190 Series guns can be factory rebuilt and guns and power supplies can be replaced separately, resulting in a very low lifetime cost of ownership. The Standard Model T series AC power supply (sold separately) is available in 120-V or 220-V primary and 4-kV output and can support two guns. The Model B series Equal-Ion power unit (sold separately) is designed to be used with the 190 Series static control guns in applications where ??5-V residual balance is required. The B-Series power supply can support one gun.
ElectroStatics Inc.
Harleysville, PA
www.electrostatics.com
ESD black wiper
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Designed for particulate detection, inspection, and cleaning applications, the company’s black wiper is uniformly static dissipative to ensure ESD safety. This contrast wiper is suitable for detection of particulate matter generated from human activity in controlled environments as well as dust on surfaces. The wiper is constructed of 100 percent no-run knitted polyester; edges are laser-cut sealed, which ensures ultra-low lint levels. Wipers are laundered and neatly stacked in an ISO Class 4 cleanroom environment. Standard sizes are 4x4, 6x6, 9x9, and 12x12 in. Custom sizes are available upon request.
Maxclean Technology, Inc.
Newark, CA
www.maxcleantechnology.com
Antistatic vacuum tubing and particle wands
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Micro-Vac offers products to microclean and control ESD at workstations and in clean environments. Antistatic vacuum tubing is an alternative to vacuum lines when static hazards are a concern. An advanced design keeps ESD created by airflow contained within the walls of the tubing. It is available in 12 sizes from ¼- to 3-in. ID. Various shrink-wrap coatings are available, one of which provides EMI, RFI, and ESD shielding. For those with microcleaning concerns, the company offers a small particle vacuum wand with antistatic coated tips, as well as malleable steel micro suction tips with openings in 0.5-, 1-, and 2-mm sizes. The tips can be shaped to reach difficult-to-clean areas. Customers can custom-order stainless-steel and titanium suction tips.
Micro-Vac Inc.
Tucson, AZ
www.microvacinc.com
ESD garment line
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As competitive and quality pressures increase, ESD program managers must assure stringent ESD controls are met under ever-tightening budgets. NSP America’s V-ES ESD garment line features a single-piece body and special arm seams and offers high ESD reliability over the service life. V-ES factors in styling, comfort, low cost of ownership, and size coverage. NSP America offers protective garments for ESD protection, RF shielding, and cleanroom applications.
NSP America Inc.
Charlotte, NC
www.nspworldwide.com
Electrostatic dissipative gloves
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PIP Technical offers a wide range of electrostatic-dissipative gloves, from its pink pure ESD vinyl gloves, nitrile gloves, and seamless knit gloves to Stat-Tek™ cut and sewn gloves. The gloves are designed and manufactured to meet the strict standards of the critical environment industry. The electrostatic-dissipative gloves provide assurance of documented performance. Visit the company’s web site to view all of its available products or call (800) 262-5755 to request a catalog.
PIP Technical
Uniontown, OH
www.pipusa.com
Microfiber tips for cleaning
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Puritan Medical Products Co. now offers ultra-clean microfiber tips in its PurSafe ™ ESD-safe product line, as well as static-dissipative foam and open cell foam. When submitting products for NVR testing for an aerospace company, the company found that microfiber styles consistently exhibited lower ionic contamination levels and lower NVRs. The high level of cleanliness, in addition to the ability to absorb solvents, is an advantage for streak-free cleaning of optics and lenses. Microfiber tips are offered on polypropylene shafts and ESD-safe shafts.
Puritan Medical Products Co. LLC
Guilford, ME
www.puritanmedproducts.com
Ceiling ionization system
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Designed to integrate with SIMCO’s next-generation ionization software, G3PM, the Gemini-G3 cleanroom ceiling ionization system has added intelligence to monitor and preemptively adjust to the changing condition of the environment. The system self-corrects its emitter output to maintain optimized performance throughout the life of the product. It features the company’s patented “Peak Reduction” technology, which enables the G3 to reduce the offset voltage, allowing flexible “pulse-overlap” control of the ionizer’s pulse cycles. Other features include real-time metering, historic event logging, and dynamic graphing of all metered values, storing values for up to 1,500 emitters. The G3PM software can be programmed to immediately notify an operator via e-mail of up to 10 possible error conditions, reducing the operator’s response time in an alarm condition. The system is available with ISO Class 1 Grade CVD SiC emitters.
SIMCO
Hatfield, PA
www.simcoion.biz
Stat-dissipative acrylic desiccators
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TDI International Inc.’s ¼-in. static-dissipative acrylic desiccators provide high quality and durable construction to meet the requirements for cleanroom component storage applications. All static-dissipative acrylic desiccators are designed to provide maximum static control protection with complete grounding of the cabinet including latches, hinges, racks, shelves, plates, and stands. This prevents buildup of static charge resulting in damaging discharge or accumulation, or particle contamination. The SD acrylic material provides surface resistivity of 106???108 Ω/sq. and meets Federal Test Standard 101C Method 4046.1. SD acrylic material is inherently inert with no plasticizers that may outgas and contaminate cabinet contents.
TDI International, Inc.
Tucson, AZ
www.tdiinternational.com
Ionization gun
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Terra Universal carries a complete line of ionizing equipment. Its IonGun™ safely neutralizes static charges and provides a burst of clean air or nitrogen to dislodge and remove particles held by static attraction. The easy-to-handle, ergonomic polymer gun minimizes strain to the operator’s wrist and hand. Its low input voltage eliminates shock hazards protecting against electrostatic discharge. The gun is suited for microelectronics, medical devices, and other ESD-sensitive parts requiring precision cleaning.
Terra Universal
Fullerton, CA
www.terrauniversal.com
Three-fan overhead ionizer
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The BFN 803, a powerful, three-fan overhead AC ionizer, is equipped with integrated task lighting, an ionization indicator light, integrated emitter point cleaners, and additional maintenance and safety features. The BFN 803 is balanced to 0 ??10 V. A two-fan overhead version is also available.
Transforming Technologies, LLC
Sylvania, OH
www.transforming-technologies.com
Sensor for monitoring electrostatic charge
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TREK’s new electrostatic voltage sensor (Model 875) is designed for in-line monitoring of electrostatic charge buildup, which if left unchecked would disrupt manufacturing processes and/or cause product degradation and early life failure of semiconductors and other charge-sensitive components. The Model 875 features an automatic calibration technique to maintain high accuracy and speed over wide variations in the spacing between the non-contacting measurement probe and the surface under test. Other features include a voltage measurement range of ??500 VDC or peak AC, accuracy of ??0.5 percent of full scale, speed of 25 ms, and low noise of less than 0.25 percent of full scale. Buffered output voltage and current monitors (4 to 20 mA) are provided for remote monitoring and alarm purposes. The unit is powered by 24 VDC and is housed in a standard DIN package to enable standardized mounting.
TREK, Inc.
Medina, NY
www.trekinc.com