An ESD audit is the first step in establishing an effective static control programme. Before you invest money in new ESD equipment, an ESD audit will help you identify vulnerable areas and potentially hazardous static zones that require improvement. Ideally, it is important to cover all areas where your ESD programme is in place, which is defined as any area where ESD-sensitive components or devices are being handled.
Greg Barron.
Data collection
The first point of departure is usually data collecting; reliable past and current data records will help the auditor determine the current level of compliance and adherence to ESD standards. Are there any past reports or testing frequency logs to refer to? This is usually a reliable way to determine whether regular testing is being conducted, and how often workers are failing or passing ESD compliance tests in general.
Workstations and personnel
At Actum Group we usually start our inspections by looking for signs of untidiness and disorder. Believe it or not, an untidy work surface is a big culprit of static build-up. It is also important to remember that movement generates static; and where there is static, there is potential for an electrostatic discharge. For this reason, we focus a large portion of our attention around personnel workstations. Checklist items include grounding equipment such as wrist straps, grounding cords, ESD flooring or floor mats, ESD shoes and antistatic clothing and apparel.
Testing equipment
We also take time to review existing testing equipment and testing procedures to determine the accuracy of the data being collected and whether it meets ESD standards. Simply having a tester in place is not sufficient. Is the data reliable and are the measurement standards right for your application? In this instance, the auditor might suggest that testers be recalibrated if the readings seem faulty or out of range.
Through our static control division, Altico, Actum Group specialises in ESD control within the working environment.
Contact us on +27 11 608 3001 or [email protected] to enquire about our cleaning solutions.
Technical resource centre for smart cities
News
Mouser’s infrastructure and smart cities content hub features comprehensive articles, blogs, eBooks, and products from Mouser’s technical team and trusted manufacturing partners.
Read more...UFS Flash named Best in Show EBV Electrolink
News
KIOXIA Europe GmbH was named as winner in the Memory & Storage category of the Embedded Computing Design (ECD) electronica Best in Show Awards at the recently held electronica 2024.
Read more...Trina Storage ranked in top 10
News
Amidst the global energy storage market, Trina Storage has once again earned recognition from authoritative institutions with its outstanding innovation capabilities and global layout.
Read more...2025 outlook for DRAM is poor
News
According to TrendForce, weak demand outlook and rising inventory and supply forecast to pressure DRAM prices down for 2025.
Read more...IO Ninja debugging tool RF Design
News
Tibbo has released a major update to IO Ninja, its versatile communications debugging tool for Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Read more...Young SA robotics team takes world title
News
In a demonstration of innovation and teamwork, Texpand, a South African youth robotics team based in Cape Town, recently made history by winning the 2024 FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) World Championships.
Read more...From the editor's desk: A brave new world Technews Publishing
News
The technology Tesla currently uses in its cars from the batteries, power electronics, controllers, through to the mechanics, gearboxes, and the AI inference computer and software have are incorporated in the development of Optimus, allowing the development of the robot to gain impressive features in a relatively short time span.
printer friendly version