Controlling ESD – A Centuries Old Problem

Electrostatic discharge, or ESD, has caused problems for humankind for hundreds of years. As far back as the 1400s there are records of outposts and forts in Europe and the Caribbean using static electricity control methods to prevent explosions in storerooms filled with gunpowder. If you fail to practice good ESD control in that kind of environment, you may never get a second chance!

Many centuries later, ESD is still a concern for many diverse businesses and industries. In the realm of electronics manufacturing, good ESD control practices are critically important. Failing to control ESD can result in problems ranging from minor annoyance to extreme cost, or even the potential loss of life.

This is particularly true in the electronics manufacturing industry. Failures due to ESD can be immediate or latent. Immediate failures may result in added costs in the form of troubleshooting, rework or scrap. Latent ESD damage can be even more costly. The electronic product can fail after delivery to the customer, or even after it passes a functional test by the customer and is delivered to the end-user.  

ACDi takes ESD protection seriously. Every employee is trained in ESD prevention and we employ the equipment and practices necessary to protect everything on the manufacturing floor, from individual components to completed assemblies.

Responding to customer requests, ACDI’s Frederick, MD facility recently implemented the latest multi-industry standard for the development of ESD control programs, ANSI/ESD S20.20-2014, and we were third-party certified as compliant to the standard by BSI.

This standard provides administrative and technical requirements for establishing, implementing and maintaining a robust ESD control program. It has been adopted for use by the Department of Defense, and is widely used in the commercial electronic, telecommunication, aerospace, automotive and medical device industries. In fact, the telecommunications industry standard TL 9000 references S20.20 as a best practice for meeting ESD control needs.

For more information about ACDI’s ESD control program, or how we can be your supplier of choice for electronics manufacturing services, give us a call at 301-969-4536, or visit us online.