Overview Of Solutions for Static Electricity (3)

Operator/Personnel Shocks
This problem can occur in two ways and can be resolved in two ways.

1) Personnel can receive shocks from extremely highly charged material as it discharges through them to earth.
2) Operators can themselves become charged by handling or being in close proximity to highly charged material. When the operator is presented with a path to earth , usually metal objects or a machine, they discharge violently often believing they have had a mains shock.

The problem can be addressed by either neutralising the material with bars or blowers
or by continuously neutralising the operator with long range Pulsed DC bars. In extreme
cases both methods can be combined.

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
The electronics industry predominantly addresses this problem by the use of conductive or static dissipative materials in the work place and in packaging.
All of these materials are earth bonded to the same electrical potential thus eliminating the possibility of potential differences and subsequent discharges. However there are many areas in electronics where such materials cannot be used practically.

Clean Rooms The materials can cause contamination. Also the laminar air flows can generate static.

Powering-Up Testing PCB's and components may short out and present an electric shock hazard.

Auto Assembly The movement and separation within the equipment generates its own static charges.

Product Assembly Where PCB’s are assembled into equipment made from ordinary static generative materials.

In all of these situations ionisation is recognised as a solution and sometimes as a
supplement to traditional methods.

Source: Meech Static Eliminators Ltd.

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