In a world full of static, you need to protect your sensitive electronics from being destroyed. Transforming Technologies offers an extensive selection of static control products, such as ionizers, matting and more to keep your products safe. But what about your personnel? Grounding your workers is an essential function of an ESD Program. These products are grouped into a category called Personal Grounding. View all of our personal grounding products on our website.
Typical ESD products found in manufacturing environments include grounding straps, table matting and ESD jackets. But did you know that common, everyday items such as trashcans or pens, can be a potential threat to your static sensitive items? Transforming Technologies provides ESD safe versions of products that are commonly overlooked products in ESD protected areas.
Transforming Technologies is proud to supply Warmbier brand ESD products. Wolfgang Warmbier is Europe’s premier brand of ESD products. Their ESD Test Instruments are precision engineered products that provide powerful ESD testing and reporting. With a built-in market of European owned manufacturers, Wambier products are highly sought after in North America.
Ionizers deliver a balanced stream of positive and negative ions and are used primarily to control static charges on insulating materials such as standard plastic. Transforming Technologies carries a wide variety of ionization products for use in industries such as electronics assembly, cleanroom, semiconductor, flat panel display, medical device manufacturing and pharmaceutical. Ionizers are the ideal solution to dust and contamination, process lockup, spray painting, static shocks, quality control, and much more.
SRM200 is a very useful tool for checking surface resistance and resistance to ground for ESD compliance and static control.
The instrument can be used on work surfaces, floors, chairs, carts, clothing and packaging materials, etc. With the additional “two-point probe” adapter also Rpp measurements can be done on small areas like in cavities of vacuum formed trays.
The measured value is displayed with LED display that indicates whether the value is conductive, dissipative or insulating. All readings can be stored in the instrument and can by using the included software easily transferred to PC via USB cable.
The measurements can be performed either with the built-in measurement electrodes (fitted with conductive rubber for good conductivity) on the underside of the instrument or together with lightweight travel electrodes. Performed measurements with external measuring electrode met the requirements of ANSI ESD S20.20 and IEC61340-5-1. SRM 2000 also has integrated temperature and humidity sensor.
The SRM200 is available in the North America from Transforming Technologies:
With the Covid-19 virus on everyone’s mind, companies are asking how to properly clean and sanitize ESD rubber table mats in a way that will not affect their static control performance.
So for the past several weeks, we tested two common cleaning agents known to control the Covid-19 virus; Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) and Lysol. The is concern is that repeated use of IPA or Lysol will degrade the ESD performance of rubber mat material, leaving sensitive components at risk. We found that after 36 applications, the ESD performance of table mats were not affected by disaffecting with IPA or Lysol.
For our testing, samples of our most popular rubber table mat, the MT4500 series, were sprayed twice daily, allowing the cleaning agent to stand for five minutes prior to wiping per the manufacturer’s instructions. The mats resistance properties were tested daily, and after 16 working days of applications, the mats showed no change in their physical or ESD control properties. In some cases, the surface resistance readings improved.
We suggest that users of our 2 layer ESD mats use an EPA approved cleaning agent to help prevent the spread of the Covid 19 virus but to perform regular compliance verification testing for any long term affects on the material.
A Surface Resistance Meter is an instrument that measures electrical resistance of an object. It is an important tool in manufacturing, as well as static control and ESD prevention programs because it can be used to evaluate materials and classify them as conductive, dissipative and insulative. Surface resistance meters are also commonly used to test the effectiveness of ESD control products such as auditing an ESD worksurface.
A quick internet search reveals many types with a wide range of capabilities and accessories. It can be difficult to choose which meter is right for your application.
Use our guide below to help with your decision. The following are topics we will cover in this article:
Accuracy
Test Range
Results Display
Voltage
Temperature and Humidity
Electrodes
Memory
Summary
1 . Accuracy: Verification vs Qualification
Not all resistance meters are created equal. Meters may be designed for quick measurements to confirm specifications (verification) while some meters are designed for more rigorous testing that requires more accurate measurements (qualification). How accurate your meter needs to be will depend on the type of testing you will be doing. Choosing a meter with higher accuracy will be a more expensive investment, it will ensure quality measurements no matter what testing required.
Below is a table that show a variety of meters with a range of functions. “Travel” meters are excellent for quick measurements and are very portable. Lab Grade meters
SRM110
Entry Level “Travel” Meter
SRM200
Mid Level “Travel” Meter
Metriso B530
Entry Level “Lab Grade” Meter
Metriso 3000
High Level “Lab Grade” Meter
2. Test Range
The minimum test range required for ESD purposes is 10^3 ~ 10^12 which covers conductive, dissipative and insulative items. Entry level meters will only have this range and will display “Less Than 10^3” for low resistance and” Greater Than 10^12” for high resistance items. More accurate resistance meters will have a larger test range. The Metriso 3000 has a test range from 1 Ohm ~ 1.2Tera Ohm (1.2 x 1012 ohm). The larger test range is important depending the material being tested.
3. Result Display:How will your meter display the measurement?
Results are measured in Ohms and are sometimes displayed in powers of 10 (also known as the decade scale). The simplest readouts show values with LED lights coded with the decade scale with colors to signify conductive, dissipative, and insulative. This readout is less accurate because the actual measurements may fall in between a decade and is rounded to the closest number. More accurate meters will display the values digitally, either in the decade scale or in Ohms.
4. Voltage: Choose The Right Voltage for Your Application
Surface resistance meters use voltage to test the resistance of a material. The voltage required depends on the material you are testing and the test method. Generally for ESD testing, conductive materials (1.0 x 104 ohms to <1.0 x 106 ohm) are tested at 10v and materials in the dissipative range (≥1.0 x 106 ohm to <1.0 x 109 ohms or < 1 x 1011 ohms for packaging materials) are tested at 100v. (Learn when to use 10v and 100v). Most meters will be able to test at both 10v and 100v. They may switch between the two automatically based on the material or you may have to select the voltage manually. The verification of insulative materials may call for a higher voltage, such as 500v. There are specially designed meters for that voltage such as the Metriso 3000.
Another concept to understand with resistance meter voltage is “constant voltage”. A meter that has constant voltage does not drop significantly from the selected voltage during testing. For example, when 100 volts is selected, the meter will deliver 96 and 100 volts at the probes (standard requires ±5%). Some meters, referred to as “Open Circuit”, will drop the voltage to a much lower level when the resistance of the material measured is less to protect the meter from the returning current. A meter with constant voltage is a much more accurate tool. The Metriso 3000 is a constant voltage meter and the output voltage at the probes is displayed during testing.
5. Temperature and Humidity
The humidity and temperature affect the electrical properties of the material being tested. It is possible for a material to meet the requirements at high humidity, but fail at a lower humidity. Because of this, both the ESD Association and the European CECC recognize the environmental effects on test measurements and require them to be recorded.
Some resistance meters may have the capability to test temperature and humidity built in while some do not, and external devices may be required. When in doubt, it is best to get a meter that measures temp & humidity. If your meter does not have that capability, we supply a tool that precisely measures temperature and humidity.
6. Measuring Electrodes
All surface resistance meters contact the material to be tested with components called electrodes. Electrodes can be built into a meter (called parallel electrodes) or can be external components. The electrodes you require with your meter depends on the tests you will perform.
Parallel Electrodes: Two conductive rails are built into the back of the meter and are used to give fast electrical resistance measurements. Not all meters have parallel electrodes.
External Electrodes: A variety of external electrodes can be connected to a surface resistance meter depending on the type of test. Here is a list of some external probes:
5lb disk probes – Most common probe (work surfaces, floors, shelves, carts, chairs, garments)
Two point probe – for testing small areas (component trays, component tapes, non-planar surfaces)
Some meters record measurements in internal memory, making reporting very convenient. Recording measurements is a nice feature, but may not be necessary for everyone. Our Metriso 3000 can store 50,000 data points and includes software to create reports. Some mid- level resistance meters can also store data, such as the Metriso SRM200. The amount of data points required during your testing sessions will help you determine if you need internal memory.
8. Summary
The surface resistance meter you should choose will primarily depend on the type of test required. Do you require very accurate measurements to qualification testing or just simple measurements for verification? Will you taking large amounts of tests regularly? Or just periodically? For simple testing needs, a entry level “travel” meter such as the SRM110 will be all that is required. For higher level testing, a mid-level Travel Meter such as the SRM200 with probe accessories or a Lab Grade Testing Kit like the Metriso B530 or 3000 should be considered.
If you have any questions on Surface Resistance Meters, please contact Transforming Technologies at 419-841-9552 or email info@transforming-technologies.com. You can also fill our a Form on the Website or Chat with the link on the right.
The
ESD flooring and footwear system is an effective way to ground people that need
to be on the move in a factory. The
footwear, when worn properly, is designed to drain the voltage from a person to
the floor and then to ground. Periodic
testing of both the floor and the footwear is required to verify proper
functioning.
Until recently, a System Resistance Test (ANSI/ESD STM97.1) was all that was needed to qualify an ESD control flooring and footwear system. If the resistance was less than 35 megohms, it was assumed that the person’s voltage would not exceed 100 volts (the upper limit for ANSI/ESD S20.20). However, this testing is done with the person stationary and having both feet flat on the ground. What happens when the person starts moving and the entire foot is not making contact with the floor?
The most recent version of ANSI/ESD S20.20 now requires a Walking Voltage Test (ANSI/ESD STM97.2) be performed when qualifying flooring and footwear systems. The test consists of measuring body voltage generate during a six step pattern used to simulate moving throughout a facility. This test will determine the actual voltage on the person while moving. Research has shown that when tested separately, ESD floors and footwear systems may pass the resistance test, but when used together, can greatly exceed the 100 volt threshold.
Determining
the maximum voltage generated by people moving on the factory floor is very
valuable information. By knowing the
maximum voltage generated you will know that your flooring and footwear
investment is performing as designed.
You may also be pleasantly surprised to find out that the system is
working quite well and you are able to handle devices with much lower Human
Body Model (HBM) damage thresholds.
Equipment is available to accurately measure and record the
walking voltage. One such instrument is
the WT5000. The WT-5000 walking test
kit measures and records the walking voltage while providing a graphical
readout. The instrument connects to a
PC using any Windows version for easy data collection. The WT-5000 identifies the peak voltages per
the requirements in the standards.
The two-in-one EFM51WT meter
holds the PEAK value of the measured body voltage, as well as the LIVE static
voltage measured on the operator’s body. The kit includes the EFM51 static
field meter, walking test adapter plate, hand probe and
conductive carrying case. The EFM51 is a fully function
field meter that in addition to the Walking Test, measures and
detects electrostatic fields, surface potentials and discharge times (with
optional charge plate accessory – p/n 7100.EFM51.CPS.SET.)
You have made the investment in an ESD flooring and footwear
system so that people can be mobile and still protecting your products from ESD
events. Determining your actual walking
voltage generated is critical to knowing that your products are being protected.
Transforming
Technologies is pleased to announce we have added the BFNG10 ESD ionizing gun to
our line of ionizers.
The BFNG10 is a high-performance ESD ionizing gun perfect for a wide variety of industrial applications. The BFNG10 provides excellent balance and rapid charge decay for secure ESD workstation protection.
The BFNG10 ionizing gun combines portability, fast static decay rates,
excellent balance and low compressed air consumption to efficiently remove
static and contaminates in the Semiconductor, Electronic Assembly, Medical
Device, Optics, Automotive and Pharmaceutical markets.
The BFNG10 works twofold: as a forceful blow off gun that quickly
removes particulate from surfaces and as a neutralizer to remove the static
charges responsible for the attraction of contaminants to product surfaces.
The gun body is lightweight but durable, and features a
light-touch trigger, making it comfortable for extended use. A metal hanger is
provided for easy mounting.
BFN series AC ionizers from Transforming Technologies create a
dense and well-balanced ionization current. They are unique in their ability to
deliver fast decay times with low offset voltages. Continuous balance and decay
protection is assured by the reliable AC design.
Specifications:
Designed for
long-term use in an electronics production environment.
Size:
17″x22″
Sold in pack
of five posters
Made in the
United States of America
Product information, data sheet and images can be found here:
A premium one-size-fits-all wrist strap set with a magnetic connection between the wrist strap and coil cord.
The WB3000 Series is a high quality adjustable anti static wrist strap with a 8′ or 12’ coil cord. The snaps are specially designed magnets which creates a superior electrical connection between the wrist strap and coil cords. The magnet snaps eliminate the intermittent failures and wear and tear of traditional snap and spring connections.
Specifications:
One-size-fits-all hypoallergenic fabric wrist strap set
Specially designed magnetic snaps provide a superior electrical connection between the wrist strap and coil cords.
The magnet snaps eliminate the intermittent failures and wear and tear of traditional snap and spring connections.
Dual-Wire conductor provides redundancy: Even if one dual-wire wrist strap wire is severed, the operator has reliable path-to-ground with other wire.
Coil Cord: 8ft or 12ft long
Application and Usage Semiconductor, SMT Assembly, Disk Drive. The WB3000 series is recommended for use with Transforming Technologies’ Resistance Ranger Constant Monitors and are compatible with most manufacturers’ monitors*.
With the Covid-19 virus on everyone’s mind, companies are asking how to properly clean and sanitize ESD rubber table mats in a way that will not affect their static control performance.
dissipative range (≥1.0 x 106 ohm to <1.0 x 109 ohms or < 1 x 1011 ohms for packaging materials) are tested at 100v. (
