Desco Europe ESD - Questions And Answers

I must transport PCA's (printed circuit assemblies) from a grounded work surface in assembly to a grounded wave solder machine. I don't have a budget for conductive wax or floor mats. The distance is 20 feet. The PCA's must be stored and transported horizontal until soldered. Can I insulate the metal "Metro" carriers so that the operators can carry them? - John, Waltham, MA

We would not recommend insulating the carts. If you were to store the PCA's in a dissipative closed container (like a tote box), then you would not necessarily need to ground the cart to a conductive/dissipative floor, although this is recommended. The closed dissipative tote box will ensure that the potentials inside the box are the same (i.e., minimize or eliminate any discharges) during transport. The tote box needs to be placed on a dissipative grounded mat before opening to bleed any potentials different than ground and at the same potential as the operators wearing their wrist straps.

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