Tag Archives: antistatic chair

9 tips to work properly in the EPAs

In previous articles we understood the importance of the tools that must be used in controlled static electricity areas. But what other precautions must be taken when working in EPAs?

1. It is important to collect defective components in protective containers that are removed after repair

The components diagnosed as faulty and removed from the groups must be treated with the same care and precautions as the functioning components. Only in this way, avoiding further damages, the analysis of the failures that may be carried out will be meaningful.

2. How to handle products in EPA areas

Components and assemblies must only be removed from their packaging in protected workplaces

  • At the end of the work phase put the groups in the specific containers
  • Do not allow components or groups to be touched by unauthorized people 
  • Periodically check workplaces and equipment

3. It is essential to put the groups back in the provided container

For each type of group a container must be provided

  • Overlaps / stacks of groups on the benches and shelves must be avoided
  • It is forbidden to place groups on equipment (oscilloscope, monitor, ..)

 

 

4. Components or assemblies must never be transported without the necessary protections

It is therefore necessary to use the containers to transport components and groups, for manual transports it will be sufficient to protect the groups and sticks of components with antistatic bags.

 

5. Rules to be observed in the repair and diagnostics phases of the products:

  • In case of powered product, it must be placed on a specific tool to avoid problems deriving from electric overstress, we recommend that the product must not be powered on surfaces that do not comply with the specifications.

  • Devices must not be removed from the circuits without first checking that the supply voltage is disconnected

  • Signals must not be applied to the inputs while the supply voltage is turned off.
  • You must use a special soldering iron at low voltage and controlled temperature (low voltage to avoid any dispersion of energy on the components, at controlled temperature to avoid excessive heat source on the components).

 

6. Precautions to be used for correct use of the soldering iron:

Avoid leaving the soldering iron on during rest or night hours, because overheating causes breakages and therefore incorrect temperature control. (+ -)

Periodically check the grounding of the soldering iron tip with a tester. The test is performed between the tip of the soldering iron and the earthing tab of the power plug.

If there is no continuity between the two points, the soldering iron tip must be cleaned with an iron brush. If no results are obtained, immediately discard the soldering iron.

7. It is forbidden to use radio equipment:

Radio equipment emits noise that can cause component damage.

 

8. Watch out for video terminals

Components, packages of components or groups must be kept away from video terminals or electrified equipment to avoid the influence of variable electrical disturbances harmful to sensitive devices.

 

9. Smoking is strictly forbidden in workplaces equipped for antistatic protection

The carbon monoxide that smoke generates causes oxidation of the groups contacts. When removing this oxidation, the rubbing movement (especially with unsuitable tools, e.g. brushes) produces static electricity which is due to a triboelectric effect.

 

 

Come and discover Gref, our esd chair line.

Why is static electricity a problem in the electronics industry ?

Static electricity must be managed within the electronics industry laboratories as it
electronic components are sensitive to electrostatic discharge.
These can, in effect permanently damage or partially damage the electronic components.

Each type of electronic component has a susceptibility threshold and its susceptibility field is measured in volts.
In general, the greater the degree of integration of the component, the greater the sensitivity to electrostatic discharge.


Now we will see the elements that can generate electrostatic charges in a work environment
Among the elements that can generate electrostatic charges in an electronic industry laboratory we find:
1. the work surfaces and types are varied, just think of treated wood, synthetic mats, metal not connected to the ground, glass or fiberglass;
2. clothes such as clothing for clean environments, finger sleeves, gloves, wool, synthetic materials, shoes and boots;
3. chairs and stools, which are often made of fiberglass, vinyl, other plastic materials, ungrounded metal, treated wood.
4. Furthermore, floors covered with unsuitable vinyl or waxed carpets can generate electrostatic charges; packaging materials such as polyethylene bags, in plastic material for packaging with bubbles, foam, plastic balls for packaging, trays and plastic boxes.
5. Even the manufacturing processes contribute to the growth electrostatic discharge, the managers may be conveyors, transmission belts, machinery, nylon brushes to wash and clean, non-conductive liquids, air flows at high speed, temperature-controlled rooms or environmental ovens.

What should be done to eliminate the damage caused by static electricity?
To prevent the generation of charges it is necessary
– Create environments (departments) with controlled static electricity, that is: arrange suitable floors and use desks, ESD chairs, shelves, etc. made with dissipative antistatic materials.
– Always use protective containers for components, groups, etc.
– Ensure that the means of transport (belts, trolleys, etc.) do not generate static charges.
– Have personnel wear suitable protective clothing
– Raise awareness and educate staff on the problem and behavior to be followed in the departments.

When setting up an ESD laboratory or an EPA, the choice of suitable seats is not only a recommended action but indispensable. The ESD antistatic chair, in fact, is a dissipative vehicle of electrostatic charges and is essential and irreplaceable compared to all antistatic equipment in the development of an anti ESD system.

Gref antistatic seats play an essential and irreplaceable role with a dual function:
• They prevent the formation of electrostatic charges on the body of the seated person
• They guarantee the earth connection through the floor by discharging the static nature that may have accumulated on the person’s body.

Come and discover our line of Gref esd chairs and stools specifically designed to dissipate electrostatic charges.

Call us without obligation, we will help you step by step in choosing the antistatic chairs that meet your needs.

 

Gref 211 - Antistatic swivel chair, with glides.

Gref 211 – Antistatic swivel chair, with glides.

How will our homes change once the coronavirus pandemic ends?

Life after the Covid-19 epidemic will never be the same as before, we are all waiting for a new start and we must all review our behaviors and habits to ensure that phase two can begin without serious relapses.
Some predictions are more optimistic than others, but almost everyone agrees that despite this event, humanity will find the strength to recover.
Values ​​will change, our lives and habits will change and our homes will also be affected by all these changes.

Here are 7 predictions of change that could occur:

Spacious houses and no more small apartments

In large cities such as Milan, skyscrapers have been designed to organize as many people as possible in one place, health and hygiene have not been taken into consideration.
In times of a pandemic, it is necessary to reduce contact with everything that is used in multi-storey buildings: lift, elevator buttons, door handles, surfaces and especially neighbors.
After this period of forced self-isolation, often without a balcony or terrace, we would all desperately want to have a house, even a small one, but with a courtyard and a terrace where you can get some fresh air.
In effect the main function of the house has always been to ensure safety, they were therefore built in raised and fortified positions.
Today people need a home that can effectively ensure social isolation, which allows them to stay protected from viruses and infections.
Urbanization will likely be forced to step back leaving space to a return of small villages and suburbs of the cities.

Yes to refuges, No to open spaces

All of us during this period realized that films about the end of the world no longer seem so fantastic. After the assault on supermarkets for fear of running out of supplies, most of us imagined and wished to have a house with a shelter inside where to keep a supply of food and water, so as to be prepared in the case of another pandemic or natural catastrophe.
Another trend to which we would like to say goodbye today is that of open spaces with a combined entrance, living room, dining room and kitchen. The optimal chocie would be to have a separate entrance area where to leave shoes, clothes and personal effects, which have been outside and therefore more exposed to a risk of contagion in a safe area, where they will have to be washed, avoiding transport dirt in the most intimate areas of the house.

Self-sufficient energy and water

The buildings of the future will become increasingly independent and self-sufficient, will be equipped with autonomous water supply and heating. Geothermal wells are already having a lot of popularity. In addition to water, they can partially provide a house with heating.
Obviously the other autonomous heating sources to have as a safety net are well-known to all of us are: stoves, fireplaces, solid fuel boiler, fuel generator, solar panels.
Autonomous mini-stations that generate alternative energy will become reality.
The goal will be independence from the outside world, minimizing risks in the event of a complete shutdown.
Satellite Internet is currently an expensive and inconvenient service, accessible only to certain people and organizations such as the military. In the future, developments for civilian use will be accelerated, giving us very fast Internet access.

Cleaning and Sanitizing

To feel safer and more protected, the people who can afford it will be willing to pay for filtering systems necessary to install a well, safe from the penetration of viruses and bacteria.
The manufacturers of smart home systems will take another step forward, their programs will not only control the air temperature in the house, but also its quality and if necessary they will automatically clean it. In this way, the air from the outside will be filtered and sanitized.
For the most demanding, cleaning rooms will be built with antiseptic dispensers. Crossing this space will be the only way in the house for deliveries and guests. In addition, it will be possible to have a lamp that generates ultraviolet radiation capable of killing harmful organisms such as viruses and bacteria.

Agriculture and gardens

There will be a boom in gardens on the balconies and in interior gardens, as our grandparents have always said and as we have been able to verify ourselves during this stressful period, gardening is an extremely relaxing activity. In fact, it has been shown how physical interaction with plants and greenery is good for our psycho-physical health.
In addition to producing food, indoor gardens can provide oxygen. The trend of phytowalls has already existed for a few years but could be back in fashion.

Stop mass production

After 2 months of quarantine, the sky of China has changed color, finally the pollution level has decreased leaving the air clean.
Also here in Europe nature has taken its course again, animals have returned to live in unusual areas, inhabited and usually trafficked.
There are many other discoveries that we will make, we hope for a new world capable of looking at the things that really matter. There will be fewer objects and they will be chosen responsibly, taking care of the environmental and social impact that their production has had.

A new home office

After  lock down, there are people who can’t wait to return to the office and meet colleagues while others aren’t willing to return.
More attention will be paid to work from home.
At home the space organization will change, our workplace will no longer be a makeshift table that has become a desk for the occasion with a lamp and a makeshift office chair relegated somewhere in the corner of the living room or under the stairs.
The office will be in an exclusively dedicated room, completely separated from the other rooms possibly with a large window, blackout curtains and comfortable furniture. The office must be technically equipped, soundproofed and equipped with a good internet connection and Wi-Fi.
The chair will be comfortable and ergonomic, capable of preserving the health of the worker who, very often, will be forced to work harder and therefore sit for more than 8 hours a day.
The ideal seat we have designed for your offices is Juke, an armchair designed to provide the highest standards in terms of ergonomics and comfort.

Juke 50 office chair

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