CPC Floor Coatings Blog

How do ESD floor coatings work?

Posted by Jeremy Gillespie on Jan 3, 2018 9:02:00 AM

If your facility deals with sensitive electronic equipment—either manufactured circuit boards or other products, or sensitive computers that store important data—the last thing you want is a stray electrical charge to cause permanent damage. Likewise, if you work with flammable materials, a single spark can put your employees at risk of danger.

This is where an electrostatic dissipative (ESD) floor coating can save the day. Here’s a basic overview of how ESD floor coatings work.

Why static charges build

We’re all familiar with static shocks in every day life. Whether we’re walking across a carpet in thick socks or just feeling the side effect of dry winter weather, we may even be able to feel the charge building up before releasing in a sudden, stinging shock.

When two surfaces are in contact—in this case, your feet and the floor, electrons may pass from one to another. When they separate—that is, when you step away—the electron imbalance remains, and your body becomes slightly negatively charged.  This charge builds up with each subsequent step until nature eventually finds a way to equalize it—usually via a shock when you touch another item, such as a doorknob, that’s positively charged.

Read More

Topics: Electrostatic Dissipative Flooring

Understanding Electrostatic Dissipative Flooring and ESD

Posted by Jamie Gillespie on Dec 22, 2015 10:00:00 AM

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a major profit killer in the electronics industry. Businesses that store, handle, manufacture, or otherwise interact with electronic products on a regular basis run the risk of damaging them when an ESD event occurs. Just the tiniest of ESD shocks — so small that the human nervous system cannot detect it — can be enough to cause harm or completely destroy exposed or under-insulated circuit boards when they are handled by employees.

To combat this danger and plug up a major source of leaking revenue, electronics companies and companies that interact with microchip-enabled consumer products must find ways to prevent ESD events from happening. One of the most comprehensive methods for reducing or eliminating ESDs is by using electrostatic dissipative flooring.

In order to better understand ESD and electrostatic dissipative flooring we've answered several of our most frequently-asked questions:

Read More

Topics: Industrial Floor Coatings, Electrostatic Dissipative Flooring