ESD (Electro-Static discharge) stands for "electrostatic discharge" and has been established since the mid-20th century to study the generation, hazards, and protection against static electricity. Internationally, it is customary to refer to the equipment used for electrostatic protection as ESD. That's why energy chains made of ESD materials at igus are called ESD-proof.
The importance of ESD protection
Electrostatic discharge is a natural phenomenon that is caused by friction and separation of materials. The threshold for the onset of electrostatic electricity that humans can perceive is around 3500 volts.
But for electronic components, 35 volts of static electricity is enough to cause permanent damage.
We didn't hear or see anything during the entire production process, but the components may have been damaged.
Damaged components can lead to a range of problems after assembly: equipment and system failures, deterioration in product quality, rising scrap rates and repair costs, and negative customer reviews and claims.
ESD protection is therefore essential in the production of sensitive components.
Requirements for energy chains in the field of ESD
Solid materials can be classified into conductors, semiconductors and insulators according to their electrical properties, and the corresponding resistance values are as follows:
In the relevant IEC standards, energy chains are defined as "other surfaces (non-working surfaces)"; These surface resistance values are required to be within 10 to the 11th power, as shown in the figure below:
According to the material data sheet, the surface resistance of the ESD material used in the e-chain® from igus is <109 Ω, which means that the ESD material meets the dissipative semiconductor values; At the same time, igus' ESD energy chains are certified according to DIN EN 61340-5-1 in Germany and IEC 61340-5-1 in United States.