ESD Worksurface and Floor Matting

ZEON Products: T3108

Hydrin ESD Mat Brochure (PDF)

 

Application Description:

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) occurs when static charge builds up on a person or surface and then quickly arcs to ground, just as when you get a shock touching a doorknob in the wintertime. If this shock occurs on a sensitive circuit board the arc will permanently damage the component. If not handled properly ESD risks can cost electronics manufacturers millions of dollars each year in ruined devices and rework. The main method to ground personnel and worksurfaces is to use ESD mats which constantly, but safely, dissipate static to ground. The worker stands on the mat to ground themselves and the table is covered with a mat where the circuit board can then be placed. Many electrostatic dissipating mats rely on conductive additives to dissipate static charge. These additives migrate and bleed to the surface of the mat and then are removed by washing, use, or may simply degrade over time. These low-quality mats must be replaced or re-treated with the electrostatic dissipating additive to maintain their properties. The current mat technology is non-permanent and thus results in a high cost to the manufacturer to maintain a static safe work area.

ZEON Solution: 

Zeon’s patent pending mat technology uses Hydrin (polyepichlorohydrin) which is an inherently ion-conductive synthetic elastomer that will quickly and safely dissipate charge while at the same time providing low tribocharge generation (static voltage created by friction). The rubber compound is extremely durable and can be used in an electrostatic mat without any additives and does not require re-treatment to maintain its properties.

Hydrin ESD mats are a permanent solution and saves the electronics manufacturer a great deal of money since they don’t need to continuously replace the mats and saves time in checking if the mats are still safe since they will never change. The mat may be a single layer of Hydrin or may be multiple layers, typically two layers, to reduce cost. Below is a comparison between the ESD polymer and other mats materials currently in the market. When used in a dual layer design the electrical resistance is extremely low which allows for safe and effective static dissipation from the surface of the mat.