Prevent Electrostatic Discharge from Barcode Scanners
The abrupt passage of static electricity between two items, known as electrostatic discharge (ESD), is an expensive and dangerous threat to a wide range of industries, including electronics, automobiles, biotech and pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and semiconductors. ESD can harm electronic devices, cause data failures, and produce explosions or flames in flammable settings, according to the ESD Association.
ESD is the result of a series of events. When two surfaces are separated, or brushed past each other, static charges are left on the surface. Simply pulling up a circuit board from a table charges both the board and the table. The collection of charge on the surfaces of insulators such as polymers is the first event. Because there is no way to ground, these charges are referred to as static charges. The second event is a discharge from a conductor to a grounded metal, such as the metal leads on a circuit board or a person's comparatively conductive skin.
“Other sources of static electricity include induction, ion bombardment, and contact with another charged object.”
ESD Damage to Electronic Arts from Three Classes
Damaged caused by an ESD event can be catastrophic or latent. Complete device failure catastrophic) or circuit boards eventual failure over time (latent) are classified as follows:
HBM- Human Body Model- A transfer of electrostatic charge from a. Human body to a device
MM- Machine Model- A transfer of electrostatic charge from a charged conductive object, such as a metallic tool or fixture, to an ESDS device
CDM Charged Device Model- A transfer of electrostatic charge from an ESDS to a conductor, through device contact, packaging materials, work or other surfaces.
ESD Prevention
The amount of voltage created by you walking across a carpeting your feet is about 1500V. The amount of voltage necessary to damage a simple hard drive is about 10V. Standard work environment safety measures such as static-safe workstations, floors, clothes, protective bags and environmental humidity settings are a must.
How scanners can protect from ESD event losses
ESD is responsible for 8 to 33 percent of all product losses, costing the electronics sector billions of dollars every year. Losses can range from a few pennies to hundreds of dollars, production yields, replacement costs and overall company reputation.
Large electronics manufacturers have learned to implement testing procedures. Tracking which devices have experienced an ESD event is done by marking the boards with electronic-safe barcode labels and scanning each board from the beginning of the process and multiple steps in-between. Careful numbering and tracking will all ensure your devices are damage-free.
Smaller electronics manufacturers also use handheld or fixed ESD-Safe scanners that have been manufactured using anti-static coatings for all physical and optical parts of the scanner itself and cord (if corded).
What makes these scanners ESD Safe are their exterior composition. Their resistance to Solvents, Material Hardness and Static-Free Coatings is what earns them the ESD Safe rating.
Handheld ESD Safe Scanners by Unitech
See All Unitech Handheld Scanners
Fixed ESD Safe Scanners by Datalogic
ESD Scanner Features
Ideal for clean room and static sensitive environments.
Available in corded or cordless versions. Bases are also coated in cordless versions.
Follow EPA requirements (ESD Protected Area).
Coated with conductive materials engineered to eliminate the build-up of dangerous static charge on the scanner.
Wired internally to quickly drain the charge from any other object to which it comes in contact.
