What is ESD Flooring?
As a person walks across a standard epoxy floor, it is very easy to build up static charge through friction because epoxy acts as an insulative material. Where there is static, there is electro-static discharge. This can cause mayhem in certain industries. ESD floors, also known as static dissipative floors (1 Mohm to 1000 Mohms) or conductive floors (.025 Mohms to 1 Mohms), provide superior static control, inhibiting static electricity on a person or from reaching sensitive equipment. In a full ESD program, the floor is joined by other protective measures, including ESD footwear, grounded table-tops and ESD wrist straps.
Benefits of ESD Flooring
ESD floors utilize conductive elements within the flooring material causing the resistance of the floor to be lowered. Because electricity takes the path of least resistance, ESD floors force the static charge (that would otherwise be built up) down through the floor. Poured-in-place polymer ESD floors perform more effectively and thoroughly than other types of anti-static flooring, such as mats or tile. Conductive elements within a poured-in-place polymer flooring system help bridge the pathway from the surface of the floor to the system's grounding layer.
Benefit highlights include:
- Protecting personnel from injury or loss of life due to shock or explosion. ESD floors are often used to protect those working in cleanrooms.
- Protecting sensitive electronic components from damaging static electricity, often in computer and electronics manufacturing
- Better performance than tile which can delaminate under heavy-duty conditions
- Saving money on replacing or repairing electronic equipment that has failed or been damaged due to static electricity
- Creating a 100% effective static-controlled environment, complete with ESD footwear
Recommended Industries
For many industries, it is crucial to control static electricity. In computer and electronics manufacturing, anti-static floors are designed to protect sensitive electronic equipment. For sensitive electronics, circuit boards, and microchips, as little as 250 volts can cause damage to components. Humans can feel a static charge of 2,500 volts. Many production facilities that produce pills, sugars, grains or munitions utilize ESD floors to protect employees. In a worst case scenario, a static charge can cause loss of life due to explosions. Grain and sugar particles in the air, as well as fine powders used in pill manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry, can become combustible. An arc of static electricity can ignite and cause large explosions in these environments.
Recommended industries include:
Recommended Products
Our line of ESD floors use conductive materials blended into our systems. Some anti-static systems use carbon-filled primers, while others utilize conductive pigments. Along with the conductive benefits, all of our ESD floors maintain the same outstanding properties as our other floors – they are chemical and abrasion resistant and easy to clean. Our team of Territory Managers, Architectural and Engineering Representatives will assist you in choosing the best ESD product for your environment with the look you desire.
Recommended products include: