Anti Static Mat – Why It Is Important

An anti static mat is not something people ordinarily think of until static electricity causes damage. Electronic devices, computers and microchips are especially vulnerable to the destructive effects of static electricity. Fortunately, there is a simple solution to this problem. An anti static mat can draw static electricity away from equipment before it gets damaged by static charges that accumulate on a person’s body or clothing.

What Is Static Electricity?

It is the accumulation of electrical charges on objects, including the human body. It can be generated simply by walking across the carpet in a room. Your shoes rubbing on the carpet causes an imbalance between the positive and negative charges of atoms on the two surfaces. The rubbing action causes friction and an electrical charge accumulates in your body. When you touch a door handle or metal equipment you will feel a static shock or an Electrostatic Discharge (ESD).

An Electrostatic Discharge can zap your computer or other electronic devices, something you would not want to happen. An anti static mat can help protect your electronics by providing a safe path where electrical energy can flow without damaging your equipment.

What Are The Effects?

Static electricity can damage electronic devices and equipment. It can destroy recording media or damage your files. It can also cause dust to accumulate on sensitive parts. Dust may also accumulate on camera lenses because of static electricity. It has even been known to cause a computer to crash.

What’s The Perfect Solution?

There are devices you can use to counter the effects of static electricity. Special brushes with anti static carbon fiber bristles can be used to clean photographic or recording equipment. Anti static guns are also used to shoot streams of charged particles to neutralize the static charge.

The most popular solution, however, is an anti static mat. This type of mat will prevent damage to a sensitive piece of electronic equipment. It is placed in front of the equipment. When you touch the mat, the electrical charge in your body will be safely dissipated.

You can protect your electronic equipment by placing anti static mats in front of them. An anti static mat is essential especially if the equipment is near a walk way where destructive static electricity can develop simply by walking towards the equipment. It is best to have these mats around all your electronic equipment. There are different types of anti-static mats, including those with a grounding cord to dissipate static electricity.

How Do They Work?

Static electricity builds up as people move about and it can be discharged by touching another object, such as a doorknob or piece of electronic equipment. The delicate electrical circuits in an electronic device may overload and become damaged. Anti static mats prevent this from happening by providing a path for electricity to flow and allowing it to dissipate slowly in a safe manner. With an anti static mat, large quantities of static electricity cannot build up to cause damage.

If you are using sophisticated electronic equipment, it is important for your floors to provide protection for your sensitive equipment. Anti static floor mats are also essential in the manufacture of electronics or when handling or using them. An anti static mat provides a path to dissipate static charges to the ground. They also prevent unwanted static discharge from taking place.

These floor mats can be obtained in single, double of triple layered material. They are made from a special rubber material that can dissipate static electricity. Anti static mat is essential in factories that use or manufacture sensitive electronic equipment because static charge build-up can damage the equipment or hamper the production of electronic products. In extreme situations, static electricity discharge may cause a fire or explosion.

These special static floor mats do not come cheap but they do protect sensitive electronics and also workers from physical harm. They cost about $4 to $8 per square foot. Some have additional features, such as anti fatigue layers. Keep in mind that extra features can drive up the price. To save money, they should only be placed in appropriate areas.

Choosing The Right One

Anti static mats, also called electrically conductive mats, help protect sensitive electronic equipment by draining static electricity from workers before they touch susceptible equipment or apparatus. They are usually made from materials such as rubber, vinyl, or even stainless steel fibers. You can find them in various sizes and colors to match the decor.

Some mats have anti fatigue padding and slip resistant features. Light-duty anti static floormats are designed for people to stand on while heavy duty anti static floor mats can be used under chairs, tables, or carts.

When choosing an anti static mat, you must consider the rate at which you want static electricity to be discharged. Static electricity must be discharged in small “doses” to prevent damage to equipment. It may be necessary to consult a professional within the industry. The specifications for your anti static mat will depend on your application. Find someone who can give you good advice. Reputable manufacturers can provide the guidance you need in choosing the right mat for your needs.

Static electricity can build up anywhere. That is why it is necessary to protect your equipment and your people from the danger of uncontrolled static electricity discharge. Placing these mats on the floors and work spaces can help. In addition, workers can also wear anti static wrist bands and heel bands. Conductive shoes can also help reduce the risk of electrostatic discharge.

Keep in mind that anti static mats are designed for specific applications. Some are designed to be laid out on floors and walkways. Others are designed with pads to prevent worker fatigue. ESD or Electrostatic Discharge mats are often used in computer rooms or areas with sensitive electronics or electrical equipment where static electricity may be a problem. You can even find them for gym equipment such as treadmills. Knowing what type of anti static mat you need and how to use it can help you protect your equipment and your workers.

Things to Consider in Choosing Anti-static matting

Installing anti-static matting is very important especially in areas where there is a lot of sensitive electronic equipment. Since human are capable of generating static electricity from simply doing simple activities, it is important that proper measure is done to avoid the static electricity from reaching these equipment. A single touch of a person charged with a certain amount of static electricity can actually damage the processor of electronic equipment. This is why installing anti-static matting is important in server rooms, industrial plants and any place where there is abundance of highly sensitive electronic machines and equipment.

There are many different brands that are offering anti-static matting. While the purpose of anti-static matting is to draw out all static electricity from humans who will be in contact with the electronic equipment, there are factors that make specific floor mats superior to the other. Here are some factors that you should consider before settling with one product.

1. You will need different kind of anti-static matting for different kind of floor treatment. Check the kind of material that is used for the anti-static matting if it is suited to the area where you are planning to use it. If the area tends to be busy all the time, you should get a product that can withstand lots of activities (heavy carts, rolling chairs, etc.). While vinyl and rubber mats can be inexpensive, it may not suit floors that are carpeted. You should consider safety before settling on any particular product.
2. Make sure that the rate of the ability of the mat to neutralize the static electricity can effectively perform its purpose. It is also important that this is performed without causing health hazard to human.
3. The price of these mats is relevant to the capability of the product to drain static charges in fast rate. While it may seem good at first, it would mean that sensitive devices that accidentally get in touch with the mat will malfunction in an instant.