Why is Anti Static Epoxy Floor Paint Better?

The Importance of Anti-Static Epoxy Flooring for Commercial and Industrial Spaces

There are numerous reasons to choose epoxy-coated concrete for the flooring of your commercial or industrial business. Epoxy is exceptionally strong, long-lasting, easy to clean, and can even come in numerous eye-pleasing colors. However, one of the less obvious benefits of epoxy flooring is that the epoxy blend can be tailored to your needs. This means your flooring contractor can formulate the coatings for added protection against the elements of the space.

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For many businesses, a significant consideration when engineering the right industrial floors is anti-static properties. If your work involves electronics, flammable materials, or anything else which might be susceptible to sparks, ESD flooring solutions like anti-static epoxy will end up paying for itself in the long run.

How Anti-Static Epoxy Flooring Protects Your Products and Workers

For many commercial and industrial operations, the buildup of static discharge is a major hazard. As your workers move around the building, they build up an electrical charge which is held within their bodies. This can discharge when they touch something metal or otherwise conductive. Though it might be fine if that happens with a metal doorknob, if that spark hits a sensitive electronic component or a flammable object, it could be disastrous. That’s where anti-static epoxy flooring comes in. It can greatly reduce the chances of such occurrences.

Simply put, the epoxy can have conductive elements embedded in the mixture which allow it to capture any built-up static charge your workers might have as they move around the floor. There are two basic ways to do this, Electrostatic Dissipative (ESD) or Electrostatic Conductive (ESC), depending on your needs:

1. Electrostatic Dissipative (ESD) Epoxy

This is the more basic form of anti-static epoxy. It has a higher level of resistance than ESC flooring, with a relatively small number of electrically conductive particles in the epoxy mix. Then, copper tubing or strips are installed along with the flooring, to provide grounding. The electric charge travels through the floor and discharges through that grounding material. This is most commonly used in settings where work is being done on electronic components.

2. Electrostatic Conductive (ESC) Epoxy

ESC flooring systems have a lower level of resistance and have the grounding material built into the floor itself. This is more expensive but allows them to very quickly dissipate even minor static buildup. ESC floors are typically found in situations where there might be fire hazards from sparks, such as working with volatile chemicals.

Impact on the Electronics Industry

Why is Anti Static Epoxy Floor Paint Better?

As a result of challenges associated with static discharges, the electronics industry loses significant amounts of money each year due to damaged goods and broken equipment. To safeguard against this, facilities operating in this market sector should install anti-static flooring solutions as part of the overall ESD Management Scheme.

Anti Static Epoxy Floor Paint is particularly effective in such environments. To ensure that a floor finish will meet the anti-static needs of a site, it is necessary to understand the location's operational activity, how the floor build-up works to eliminate this threat, and the role played by other factors such as testing and personnel clothing.

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How is a Static Charge Generated?

Static charge is generated by the movement between two surfaces, especially when one has a high resistance to electric current. For example, when a person moves across a floor, they can build up a negative charge, which increases the more the person moves around. This phenomenon, known as triboelectric charging, results in a static charge that can cause electrostatic discharges when in contact with conductive objects.

If a charged object is a person, they might experience a mild static shock. However, if the electrostatic discharge passes through sensitive electronic equipment, it can cause irreversible damage. This is why it is essential to have proper anti-static measures, such as anti-static epoxy flooring, especially in environments where such equipment is prevalent.

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Understanding Electrical Resistance

The rate at which an electrical charge is dispersed is controlled by the material's electrical resistance, measured in ohms (Ω). For anti-static purposes, floors are ordered into different categories depending on how quickly electricity can move through them. Materials with the least resistance are defined as conductive, moving to dissipative floors that allow electricity to flow through at a controlled speed, while the most resistant materials are called insulative.

How Anti-Static Resin Floors Work

Anti-static floors ground the personnel as they move around the site, preventing damaging levels of static charge from accumulating. This is achieved by constructing a flooring build-up designed to safely transfer the charge from a person to a defined earthing point. Incorporating specialist conductive materials within the resin coating, the flooring system ensures safe discharge of any static electricity.

Copper Grids

A continuous copper grid is crucial for making the flooring system highly conductive. This grid ensures that all parts of the floor are close to the earthing point, which is essential to effectively reduce surface resistance. Omitting this step can result in parts of the floor being less conductive, putting sensitive electronic equipment at risk.

Earthing Requirements

An earthing point is essential for any anti-static flooring system. It allows any charge that has been transferred to the floor to safely escape to earth. Connecting the floor to the facility's existing earthing system typically fulfills this requirement. Regularly testing to ensure proper earthing is highly recommended.

Clothing

Personnel should wear appropriate clothing to increase the likelihood of safely discharging any built-up static electricity. Electro-static dissipative shoes are particularly effective in conjunction with anti-static flooring, ensuring optimal protection for both people and sensitive equipment.

Anti-slip Surfaces

Depending on the nature of the facility’s operations, the anti-static flooring may also need to meet anti-slip requirements to safeguard against slip hazards. Specialised anti-static floor coatings with a textured profile create safe, anti-slip surfaces, protecting the users' wellbeing and safety.

For more detailed recommendations and case studies, visit our NFJ site.