5 Treston - ESD workspaces Ground connection cord Adjustable fabric wristband Wristband junction box Ground junction box Spiral cord Particularly in the electronics industry, work is often carried out in an ESD protected area (EPA) that is protected from static discharge. To create and maintain an EPA one needs to pay special attention to furniture and personnel, which need to be grounded. Protection can involve earthing equipment and painting the frame of the workstation with semi-conductive paint. We have extensive experience in developing, manufacturing and supplying ESD furnishings. All our workstations and related products are available with an electrically semiconductive coat of paint and we supply furnishings, seats and earthing components for ESD-protected workstations. We also build complete production systems equipped with ESD-protection. Our ESD-protected products meet the requirements specified in the IEC 61340-5-1 standard. Terms and explanations ESD Electrostatic discharge. Occurs when two electrically-charged objects come together and a charge is discharged. Could result in either immediate or latent damage to an electrical component ESDS Electrostatic discharge sensitive. A component that needs ESD protection. EPA ESD-protected area. CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL Conductor = material that permits electricity flow. Metals are often conductive, e.g. copper and aluminium. INSULATING MATERIAL Insulator = material that does not conduct electricity. The insulator can be electrostatically charged. Insulators can be plastic or wood, for example. STANDARDS IEC 61340-5-1: ESD standard widely used in Europe and ANSI S20.20 in the Americas. Both standards have a great number of similarities. Static electricity The abbreviation ESD stands for Electrostatic Discharge, a process that occurs between two objects of differing electric potential. Normally, electric charges are discharged slowly from objects’ surfaces. If the difference in electric potential becomes too high, the electrical current accelerates resulting in a sudden current surge. An ESD protected area is called an EPA. In an EPA, ESD protection must be observed in all materials, employees’ clothing and air humidity. Employees in an EPA must also be earthed with protective resistance (1 Mohm) to an ESD earth. ESD protection guarantees a safe working environment Work smarter, not harder
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