Choosing The Correct ESD Matting Is Highly Significant For Eliminating Electronic Damage And Worker Fatigue

For those seeking out a solution for protection against static electricity, ESD matting is a common choice due to the many options of matting that can accomodate any workplace.

If you are considering purchasing matting for your workplace, you are most likely familiar with the importance of ESD protection when handling electronic products that are sensitive to static. Nonetheless, do you have full clarity on how matting works and more importantly, which products suit your workplace best?

Take a read further to find out what ESD matting is available to best suit to your needs, and how electrostatic discharge is controlled through its implementation.

How Do ESD Mats Function?

ESD matting is a covering that shields an individual or a piece of sensitive electrical equipment from static electricty discharge. This matting comes in a wide range of sizes and is most commonly placed on the floor or on a workstation surface.

ESD mats can be manufactured to fit:

• A workbench or desktop
• Large open areas such as warehouses
• Floor matting for a singular workbench
• Entire manufacturing floors utilising floor tiles

The Structure Of ESD Mats

ESD mats are carefully constructed in three layers as many other forms of ESD equipment:

1. A top layer made with dissipative vinyl that discharges static electricity.
2. A middle layer that directs discharged electricity into the ground.
3. A base of anti-slip material for workers safety. 

What Are The Dangers Of ESD?

Now we know the functions of ESD matting, let’s look into the dangers of ESD production.

To put it bluntly, ESD is not always dangerous to us or large objects, but when working with small electronic components, these static shocks can be costly to say the least. And, as technology becomes more advanced, the components are getting a lot smaller in size, and a lot more sensitive to ESD.

To put things into perspective, humans start to feel pain from ESD when the shock is at 3,000V; the average ESD shock is around 5,000V. However, under severe conditions, static shock can produce up to 15,000V.

These shocks can then cause damage beyond repair to electronics.

Why Is ESD Matting Effective In An EPA?

So, how does ESD flooring and bench matting significantly minimise these risks posed by ESD?

In workplaces where the risk of production of ESD is significantly high, there must be precautions in place to minimise the risk of electronic damage and serious harm to an individual. 

Especially in organisations where expensive electronic equipment is in use; the consequences could be costly!

In light of this, ESD matting is often used within EPAs to drain static from the operators when conducting a task. Also known as an anti-static mat, this ESD protectant shields an individual from electrostatic discharge by dissipating the static off of them.

These mats come in two forms; floor matting and bench matting. Both are designed to come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and are then placed on the floor next to a workstation.

Underfoot mats are typically larger in size and thicker in material than bench mats due to its need to take more wear and tear. They are typically made of materials with grooves on them to prevent workers from slipping and tripping.

Bench mats on the other hand cover an entire benchtop and are usually dissipative on the surface with a conductive layer either underneath (2-layer matting), or buried between two dissipative layers (3-layer matting).

They are especially useful for operators who need extra protection when working with costly electronic equipment.

Types Of ESD Mats

ESD Floor Mats

Underfoot mats, also known as floor mats, are usually larger and thicker than benchtop ESD mats.

This is mainly due to the fact that they need to be more durable and prone to wear and tear.

ESD floors are solely installed to discharge and prevent the build up of static electricty in a workplace environment.

With general flooring, static electricity can build up fairly quickly, i.e people walking across carpets. With this minimal static electricity posing a big threat to sensitive electrical components, installing ESD flooring is a no brainer.

Companies can face potential legal action against customers who have suffered financial losses or injuries due to electro-static discharge.

Anti-Fatigue Floor Mats

Many ESD mats often come with anti-fatigue cushioning to relieve workers from the health effects of standing for long periods at a time.

Anti-fatigue matting is designed to ensure a layer of protection and comfort between the operators feet and the floor.

Typically made from materials such as PVC, nitrile or natural rubber, anti-fatigue mats are available as individual benching mats, or they can be provided as rolls/tiles to cover an entire floorspace.

This type of matting is used commonly around the world in many businesses, due to the fact it helps reduce the risks associated with long periods of standing such as MSD's, aches, pains or headaches.

The cushion incorporated into the design provides a soft surface to reduce strain and pressure on your muscles and joints, promoting better circulation.

ESD Bench Mats

Bench mats are typically placed on any type of workstations for individuals to increase user safety by dissipating static from the operator.

Bench mats can be placed on the closed cell structure prevents the movement and loss of small components used in laboratories to stabilise fragile equipment.

This protects electrical components and PCB's from damage.

How To Choose The Best ESD Mat For Your Workplace

At Kaisertech, we offer a range of types and sizes of ESD matting that will suit your workplace needs. Whether it be a under desk mat for individual applications or a long role of matting to protect an assembly line – we’ve got what you need!

But the question remains, how do you choose the best ESD mat for your business needs?

Things To Consider When Investing In ESD Matting

Firstly, you’re going to want to narrow your choices down by identifying your specified application.

• Are you working on an assembly line where you will need a long roll cut to cover your entire floor?
• Or, do you only need a small row for a specific area?
• Will you need an individual standing bench/floor mat to fit a singular desk?

Then, depending on your work environment, you’re going to want to decide what extra features you need.

• Is it just ESD protection you’re looking for, or are you standing for long periods of time and need anti-fatigue comfort in addition?
• Are you working hands-on with PCB's that need extra static protection?
• Are you working in dry conditions, or are you in a slip risk environment with wet flooring? Perhaps you need a slip-resistant material on your ESD mat?

Finally, think about appearance within your workplace.

• What colour do you need? 
• Do you need safety floor matting with yellow tape around the edges to avoid tripping?

Once these pointers have been noted, you can streamline your choices. Take a look at our reccomendations below:

COBAelite ESD Anti-Fatigue Matting

ESD safe and Anti-Fatigue Matting suitable for dry environments. The bubble raised material ensures that the worker has additional cushioning underneath their feet, encouraging movement and increased grip.

COBAstat ESD Matting

ESD safe matting for dry environments and a short standing period of time. Designed with a bevelled edge to reduce tripping.

Deckplate Anti-Static, ESD & Anti-Fatigue Matting

This hardwearing ESD safe Anti-Fatigue mat has a dual layer mat for static sensitive areas. The diamond pattern surface is attractive and slip resistant.

JBC TMS-A ESD Table Mat

JBC's TMSA ESD table mat protects equipment from static electricity discharges by draining the static electricity from objects placed on its surface.

Conclusion

One important factor to note is that you need to carefully plan and budget your workstation. Although a cheaper cost is more appealing, we recommend that you do not let cost dictate your overall buyer decision. 

Low quality matting may save you money now, but in the long run, you could be facing costly damages to your electronics, or even staff health, due to missing protectants.

For any help you might need during this process, feel free to call our sales team at 023 8065 0065 or drop us an email at [email protected]