Floors for the electronics industry

Floors for the
electronics industry

Electrostatic charging and discharging occur almost everywhere in everyday life (for example when working at a desk, walking across a carpet, or picking up a plastic bag). Even brief contact between two bodies creates an electrostatic charge, which can discharge again upon contact with another body. These everyday activities can already result in considerable, perceptible (> 3,000 V), audible (> 5,000 V) or visible (> 10,000 V) voltages. While these discharges may be perceived as annoying or unpleasant in a private environment, they can lead to massive damage or even danger to life in a commercial or industrial environment.

A distinction can be made between two basic areas, which are also covered by separate standards:

Property protection (e.g. microchip industry - ESD standard DIN EN 61340)

Building protection (e.g. explosion protection - Technical Rule for Hazardous Substances 727)

In order to avoid electrostatic charging, e.g. when walking on floors, floor covering systems can be used that neutralise electrostatic charging as soon as it occurs by dissipating the charges.

Why is electrostatic discharge so dangerous?

This phenomenon can damage electrostatically sensitive components, such as microelectronics, as these are becoming increasingly delicate nowadays and are therefore more susceptible to ESD damage. Often, even the smallest discharges are sufficient to cause malfunctions or complete failure of the components. However, this often occurs only when using the final product, which results in cost-intensive downtime or product recalls.Meanwhile, explosive media or chemicals also pose a major problem, as they can cause fires, explosions or financial losses due to sparking.Preventing such damage is an absolute priority, because the potential cost of this damage justifies any effort needed.
What is ESD protection?

Everyone is familiar with the experience of electrostatic voltage discharging.Colloquially, we usually talk about getting an “electric shock” or a “static shock”. In technical terms, this is an ESD event. ESD stands for electrostatic discharge. An electrostatic discharge is an equalisation of the electrical charge to an electrical conductor or to earth. In modern work areas, voltages of over 10,000 V can easily occur. Although these are harmless to humans, they can destroy electronic components such as microchips, sensors or circuit boards. Components that are electrostatically sensitive are referred to as ESDS (electrostatic discharge sensitive devices).

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Effective protection against damage caused by electrostatic discharge is provided by ESD-free rooms. In these electrostatic protected areas, known as EPA for short, all measures are taken to protect the components from electrostatic discharges. In this case, the ESD floor represents part of the equipment in an EPA. Every production site and every industry is different, with individual requirements and special challenges for the floor coating. Remmers ESD flooring can be flexibly adapted to the respective situation. Whether you’re interested in slip resistance, chemical and mechanical resistance or abrasion resistance, cleanroom requirements and the topic of cleaning in general, there is a suitable solution for every challenge and every requirement. Our ESD fittings make a significant contribution to the protection of sensitive components.
Dissipative floor coatings for explosion protection

Highly flammable liquids are used in many working environments, such as the chemical industry, water pollution control and printing plants. These substances have a low flash point and can be ignited by a spark in combination with the ambient air. As a result, a fire starts or an explosion occurs.

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To prevent this, it is important to divert any charges into the ground to protect people and machinery. Our dissipative floor coatings fulfil these requirements and make a major contribution to safety when working with explosive substances. Typical properties of dissipative flooring systems extend beyond just their ability to dissipate charge: they also have mechanical and chemical resistance, can be made slip-resistant, are crack-bridging and very resistant to wear. In each individual case, the right system can be configured and applied.
The difference between an ESD floor and a dissipative floor

Both floor coatings have the task of discharging charges to the earthing point. But what exactly is the difference?

The primary purpose of an ESD floor is to prevent people from being charged so that damage to electronic components is ruled out. The requirements are regulated in the ESD standard DIN EN 61340-5-1.

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The primary purpose of a dissipative coating is to quickly and safely conduct charges to an earthing point, stopping ignitable mixtures from forming and protecting buildings from explosions and fires. These requirements are regulated in the Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances (TRGS 727).

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Advantages and properties of high-quality ESD-compliant and dissipative floor coatings

Safety & durability

With over 30 years of experience, we know exactly what is important to the customer and therefore our focus is on safe systems with a high level of durability.

Quick and easy to install

Nowadays, time is of the essence and the shortage of skilled workers underlines the need for simple processes. Our systems minimize downtime.

Excellent cleaning properties

Proper and regular maintenance protects the flooring system and plays a major role in its functionality.

Wide range of colors

There is a wide range of colors to choose from. Remmers is happy to support you in creating and implementing attractive color concepts in practice.

References

Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral (FR)

SuperHub, Groningen, the Netherlands

Spiral staircase, Rapunzel Naturkost, Legau, Germany

go to references archive

Expertise lies in the detail

The requirements are regulated very precisely in the standards and are reflected in project tenders accordingly. However, when it comes to solutions for the precise details, such as expansion joints, floor-wall connections or earthing points, there are always uncertainties or sometimes even design variants that cannot guarantee the ESD function. In order to exclude these risks, Remmers GmbH offers detailed, practical planning and implementation guides.

Team of Research Scientists in Sterile Suits Working with Computers, Microscopes and Modern Industrial Machinery in the Laboratory.

Why are proper cleaning and care so important?

Proper and regular care protects the flooring system and ensures that it retains its value for a long time. This preserves the appearance of the floor and significantly extends its useful life. Similarly, cleanliness is essential for an ESD or dissipative flooring, because dirt and dust have an insulating effect on the floor and prevent it from carrying out its essential task of discharging the load into the floor. Care must also be taken to use special cleaners for ESD and dissipative floors. They must not leave a film on the surface, otherwise the function of the floor will be impaired. We will be happy to put you in touch with appropriate specialists and send you our cleaning and maintenance instructions.

Suitable products

Epoxy Primer PF

Article No. 1224

Pigmented primer and base layer

Epoxy Color Top

Article No. 6191

Pigmented roll-on coating or topcoat

PUR Color VS

Article No. 6056

Flexible floating, sealing and wearing layer in Remmers Deck OS systems

PUR Color ZS

Article No. 6826

Floating layer, sealing layer and wearing layer in Remmers Deck OS systems

Epoxy BS 3000 SG

Article No. 6380

Water-based, pigmented, silk-gloss sealant

PUR Color Top OS

Article No. 6055

Pigmented topcoat for OS 11 systems

PUA Hybrid OS pro

Article No. 6051

Spray-on waterproofing in Remmers Deck OS 10 pro systems

PUA Color WL OS pro

Article No. 6049

Wear layer in Remmers Deck OS systems

Product overview

Segment brochure: Floor coatings with ESD/dissipative properties

Our comprehensive brochure on floor coatings with ESD/dissipative function contains all the facts to help find durable, customised solutions for the electronics industry.

More information

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Industrial flooring

Lebensmittelindustrie

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