If you work in a manufacturing environment, you know that Static Electricity can be a serious problem. It can damage sensitive electronic components, causing shorts and failures. In some cases, static discharge can even be a fire hazard. That’s why it’s important to use ESD Safe Hand Tools whenever you’re handling sensitive electronic components. But what are ESD Safe Hand Tools? How do they work? And where can you get them? Keep reading to find out.
Minimizing Risk
ESD Safe Hand Tools are tools that have been designed to minimize the risk of damage from static electricity. They accomplish this by dissipating any static charges that may build up on the tool or the object being worked on. This prevents those static charges from coming into contact with sensitive electronic components and causing damage. ESD control products are needed in order to prevent damage from the electrical charges that accumulate during critical manufacturing processes.
Damaging electrostatic discharges (ESD) can occur when an individual touches sensitive electronic components or devices. This could happen, for example, when someone is removing a component from a circuit board. To protect against component failures, many companies have static free programs in place. As part of these programs, employees use ESD safe hand tools, such as those made by Xuron Corp. Our ESD safe hand tools are designed to minimize the risk of damage from static discharge.
How ESD Safe Hand Tools Work
All ESD Safe Hand Tools are made from conductive or dissipative materials. Conductive materials are those that allow electricity to flow freely through them, like metal. Dissipative materials are those that resist the flow of electricity, like certain plastics and Xuron®’s injection-molded Xuron-Rubber™ grips. In order for a tool to be truly ESD Safe, it must be made from both conductive and dissipative materials. This is because dissipation alone is not enough to protect against static discharge; the conductive element is necessary to provide a path for the static charge to flow away from the sensitive component.
All Xuron® hand tools are optionally available with ESD safe handle grips.
Xuron®’s ESD Safe grips are manufactured from injection-molded Xuro-Rubber™. This material conforms to ANSI/ESD.S20.20 and DOD-HDBK-263. It has a surface resistivity of 10(6)-10(9) ohms and is both REACH and RoHS compliant. The material used for the ESD Safe grips helps to protect electronic components from static discharge. It is also resistant to chemicals, oils, and solvents, making it ideal for use in environments where there is potential for exposure to these substances. ESD Safe grips are essential for anyone working with sensitive electronic components.
Xuron® Antistatic Tools are Designated “AS”
The black grips on these tools are imprinted with the ESD safe symbol in yellow. Simply adding “AS” after the model number will designate this option. These grips have been designed to safely dissipate static electricity that can damage sensitive electronic components. The “AS” designation stands for antistatic and is a valuable option for anyone who works with delicate electronics on a regular basis. By choosing tools with this designation, you can be confident that you are doing everything possible to protect your valuable equipment.
Protect Your Electronics with Anti-Static and ESD Safe Tools
Anti-Static Hand Tools are an important part of any manufacturing process that involves handling sensitive electronic components. They work by dissipating any static charges that may build up on the tool or the object being worked on, preventing those static charges from coming into contact with sensitive electronic components and causing damage.
If you’d like more information about Xuron®’s ESD safe hand tools, contact your local Xuron Corp. Sales Representative for a consultation or feel free to contact us directly. You can also download our Industrial Precision Tools Catalog (link).
For more information on ESD, go to www.esda.org
Excellent tools, good blog and informative.
Thank you, Bruce! We appreciate your kind words!
Important information about the value of ESD-safe hand tools in electronic assembly is provided in this post. PCB Assembly Vancouver This essay provides excellent explanations of why ESD protection is crucial. Anyone working in the electronics sector has to understand the significance of these tools.