Choosing the Right ESD Floor for Laboratory and Technical Environments

Between 1978 and 1982, G. T. Dangelmayer, AT&T, conducted factory studies which documented dramatically different yields between side-by-side identical circuit board assembly lines with only one variable: during two year long, with-in plant studies, assembly lines equipped with personnel grounding devices and dissipative table mats produced significantly better yields than lines that did not utilize any grounding procedures. Of greater import, AT&T also noted statistically relevant correlations between compliance with ESD grounding procedures and overall improvements in product quality. Despite 25 years of overwhelming evidence supporting the benefits of personnel grounding, noncompliance with grounding procedures remains a major obstacle to many ESD program managers.