What is ESD? 

Before defining the role of an ESD floor, antistatic, it is appropriate to explain what an ESD phenomenon (Electrostatic Discharge) is. The ESD phenomenon refers to the electrostatic discharge that occurs when electrical charges accumulate on the surface of a material or a human. A discharge occurs when these charges find access to the ground or another unbalanced element. Typically, the electrostatic discharge felt when one has just walked on a carpet and then grabs a doorknob.

Very often the explanation of this phenomenon is seen from the angle of discharge, but there is no discharge without charge. The observation of charging phenomena (measured in Volts) is as important as the measurement of the discharge phenomenon (measured here by resistance in Ohms).

What are the risks associated with ESD phenomena?

ESD phenomenon-related risks can be categorised into two families: those related to people protection and those related to electronic devices protection.

Firstly, people protection aims to control and avoid electrostatic discharges to prevent fires and explosions (e.g. ATEX environments) in production conditions that present risks associated with vapours, gases, powders, and flammable liquids.

In hospital environments, controlling the ESD phenomenon is crucial to prevent potential damage to equipment (MRI, scanners, etc.), protect against possible explosion risks related to anaesthetic gases (which is less and less the case nowadays), and avoid dust accumulation for maximum hygiene.

Regarding industries, a human being feels electrostatic discharges starting from 3000 Volts, but certain electronic devices (printed circuit boards, semiconductors, etc.) can be affected by values below 100 Volts, even below 10V for very sensitive ones. This can have a direct impact on not just production quality but also create weaknesses and latent failures that will impact the device’s performance, or even significantly limit its lifespan. As an example, we cannot afford to send a satellite into space with a potentially defective electronic circuit board.

ESD floors, how to monitor their performance?  

An ESD floor will only perform when all systems are functioning that allow personnel to be grounded through the floor. Flooring can be the last line of defence for elimination of charges to the ground in an ESD system.

Two factors are measured according to ESD standards: 

To measure performance, a normative reference and structured test procedure is required. A company willing to set up an EPA (Electrostatic Discharge Protected Area) must first choose and define the standard most suitable to its environment. There are many standards related to either applications and/or geographical areas: EN14041, IEC 61340, ANSI ESD S20.20, etc.

Gerflor experts are here to help you choose the right flooring solution according to the regulations adopted in your organisation!

ESD and antistatic floors, making the right choice

As previously mentioned, the choice of flooring solution will first be based on the ESD standard selected and adapted to your organisation. However, the choice of flooring must also be guided by its use and installation conditions:

Subfloor conditions and installation

In the case of a new building project or renovation of an existing area, the quality of the subfloor and the ease of installation must be taken into account. This is to ensure a flooring choice that meets short and medium-term needs, as well as an installation time that shall not impact productivity in the case of installation in an occupied environment. For example, an ESD resin for a renovation will require production to stop during installation, while ESD tiles like GTI allow installation with co-activity and thus have a very low impact on productivity.

Traffic conditions

Depending on the frequency, type of traffic (pedestrian and/or mechanical), and loads, the appropriate flooring must be chosen. For example, for pedestrian traffic, the use of manual electric pallet trucks, a homogeneous 2mm ESD PVC floor will be suitable. In the case of higher traffic (such as forklifts or heavy loads), the GTI EL5 tile solution is preferred.

Resistance to cleaning and decontamination processes

For many years Gerflor has developed patented and innovative surface treatments that provide excellent chemical resistance, catering to the needs of Industrial applications for both rile and roll solutions.

Maintenance

It is important to consider the long-term life of the flooring in terms of ease of maintenance and repairability. Vinyl solutions allow quick repairs (hot welding for small repairs such as cuts or impacts) and easy replacement of areas to be renovated without interrupting production, unlike epoxy or polyurethane resins.

ESD and cleanroom

In controlled environments where ESD floors are a must (e.g. semiconductor manufacturing or pharmaceutical industries). The flooring must also meet additional requirements such as: control of particulate emissions according to ISO14644-1, control of biocontamination (bacteriostatic flooring), ease of decontamination, control of outgassing, etc. Gerflor, with its cleanroom experience, offers flooring products certified by independent laboratories (Fraunhofer Institute) allows for their specification in clean rooms.

GERFLOR experts are here to guide you in your choice of ESD, antistatic floor coverings.