ecotile ESD / Anti-static fooring

The patented ESD / anti-static interlocking foor tile

A quick, simple and sustainable fooring solution.
Introduction
The ecotile ESD and anti-static range of interlocking foor tiles either
incorporate millions of tiny stainless steel metal fbres that guarantee
esd / conductive / static dissipative performance for the life of the tile,
carbon black for very low surface resistivity or a chemical additive to
provide anti-static performance. The electrostatic dissipative (ESD
/ EPA ) interlocking foor tiles are ideal for use in electronics and
telecommunications factories, computer server rooms, production
plants such as pharmaceutical, paint, petrochemical plants, anywhere
the risk of electrostatic discharge presents a hazard to product or
personnel.
ESD CONDUCTIVE, DISSIPATIVE OR ANTI-STATIC?
WHAT IS ESD: The abbreviation for electrostatic discharge. In laymans
terms: an electrical event that takes place when two conductors with
different electrical potential make contact. ESD events occur when
people walk across various forms of fooring and then they touch or
approach computers and sensitive electronic devices. ESD should not
be identifed with shocks or zaps. Although shocks and zaps are ESD
events, they are the result of at least 3500 volt discharges. An ESD
event as low as 20 volts can disrupt electronic components. Because
of this extremely low voltage, the event can go completely undetected.
Have you been asked to select a foor that is supposed to eliminate or
minimize static charges accumulating on people when they walk on the
foor? What do you call such a foor? If you have done any research in
this area youve probably discovered something rather unusual. There
seems to be many different and seemingly contradictory descriptions
for this type of foor. In simple terms all you need to achieve are the
following:
Permanently prevent static on people working in the facility.
Be certifable to some standard that verifes safety and
performance over the anticipated life span of the foor
Meet the requirements of the environment and application
To achieve these objectives the most important point is to identify what
is the maximum and minimum level of electrical resistance acceptable
for your operation or process. Many ESD fooring suppliers and
manufacturers will recommend electrical resistance measurements
as high as 1.0 x 10
9
, (1 Billion or One Thousand Meg). Versatile
Flooring feels that the gap between 100 million to a 1 billion is too
large, (900 million ), of a jump in electrical resistance. If the materials
electrical resistance happens to deteriorate over time, beginning at 1.0
x 10
9
, it may not provide adequate ESD protection over the medium
to long term
The word anti-static is used by many manufacturers to describe their
product but anti-static is in fact just a generic term for any material
that can conduct an electrical charge and has an inherent resistivity
range between 1 x 10
4
and 1 x 10
11
. The electronics, aerospace,
automotive, medical and defence industries worldwide have accepted
that for a foor to be safe from risk of electrostatic damage to delicate
components the electrical resistance of the surface must be no higher
than 1.0 x 10
9
.
The important question; Will you be audited / testing your foor?
If yes - what is the standard you will be tested to? The industry
standard is IEC 61340-5-1:2007 standard protection of electronic
devices from electrostatic phenomena, which requires a foor with
an electrical resistance of the surface must be no higher than 1.0
x 10
9
. To achieve this standard the only options are a fooring
impregnated with either carbon or metal fbres (i.e. E500/7/ESD
or E501/7/ESD)
If no what are your buying motives? Performance, durability
or price? If the frst two we would recommend you go down the
frst option (E500/7/ESD, E501/7/ESD, E502/7/AS), could your
customers introduce audits or testing in the future? If the decision
is primarily infuenced by price the best option by far is to select
the standard ecotile and use the Selstat polish to seal and also
clean the foor. Using this method rather than a product with an
anti-static additive that will dissipate out of the foor over time, will
ensure a controlled and measured approach to maintaining an
anti-static foor.
Key Benefts
Extremely Hard Wearing.
Low Life Cycle Cost And Simple To Maintain..
Smart & Modern Appearance.
Guaranteed to fulfll the requirements of IEC / BS EN 61340.
Ideal For Use With Fork Trucks And Heavy Loads
Quick And Simple To Install, No Downtime.
Good Anti-slip Properties
Protects The Existing Floor From Damage.
Versatile, Quick And Easy To Amend Design or Layout.
Ideal For Uneven, Damp Or Contaminated Substrates.
10 year Product Warranty.
T: +44 (0) 1707 800060
F : +44 (0) 1707 657282
E: info@versatilefooring.co.uk
www.versatilefooring.co.uk
Defnitions:
What is Anti Static Flooring? The term anti static refers to a condition where static generation is inhibited during contact and
separation with a different material. Anti static fooring can either be static dissipative or static conductive.
What is Conductive Flooring? Conductive refers to the ability of a material to conduct a charge to ground and is usually
indicated by an electrical resistance range measured in ohms of a minimum of 2.5 x 10
4
, (25,000 ohms), to a maximum of
1.0 x 10
6,
(1 million ohms). Conductive foors like static dissipative foors are classifed based upon their electrical resistance
to ground. Electrical resistance is measured in ohms of resistance. The resistance to ground of a properly specifed
conductive foor is 2.5 X 10
4
and < 1.0 X 10
6
measured as per BS EN 61340. Conductive fooring always meets all three
recommended electrical parameters of BS EN 61340. A type of fooring intended to prevent, mitigate, dissipate, conduct,
remove or ground excessive static electricity charges on people, furniture, mobile trolleys and equipment. Static conductive
fooring should not be confused with highly conductive materials including: copper, aluminium, silver, brass and gold. Unlike
highly conductive materials, static conductive materials - by defnition - possess an intrinsic electrical resistance of greater
than 25,000 ohms. Static conductive fooring meets all the criteria for fooring in for use in an ESD control area. Static
conductive fooring provides superior static control performance to static dissipative fooring and anti-static fooring
What is Dissipative Flooring? Floor material that has a resistance to ground between 1.0 x 10
6
and 1.0 x 10
9
ohms. A
foor tile material used for the mitigation of electrostatic discharge (ESD). It is important to differentiate between the terms
SDT and static dissipative. By defnition, a static dissipative foor tile inherently meets the electrical properties of static
dissipative fooring without the use of antistatic waxes, fnishes and glazes. A static dissipative tile is not necessarily
antistatic and should be carefully evaluated in applications where special controlled footwear will not be used. Static
dissipative vinyl is a static generator in combination with people and standard footwear.
The patented ESD / anti-static interlocking foor tile
ecotile 500/7/ESD can be used as your primary ground and
is guaranteed to give ESD performance for the life of the tile.
The electrostatic dissipative (ESD / EPA) interlocking foor
tiles are ideal for use in electronics and telecommunications
factories, computer server rooms, production plants such
as pharmaceutical, paint, petrochemical and certain food
production facilities with risk of dust explosion (sugar, four
dust etc.)
Composition & Manufacture
ecotile 500/7/ESD is manufactured from tough PVC
compound incorporating millions of tiny stainless steel metal
fbres. ecotile has excellent wear characteristics, chemical
resistance, long term stability, good weatherability and stable
electrical properties.
Performance & Test Results
ecotile 500/7/ESD has been independently tested:
Surface resistivity: 2.2 x 10
4
to 3 x 10
6

Resistance to ground: 2.9 x 10

4
to 5.7 x 10
5

Electrostatic Propensity:< 10 Volts / <2.0 kV

Static Decay at 15% humidity: 0.01sec
The test results guarantee that ecotile ESD complies with
British and International Standard BS EN 61340-5-1:2001
and IEC 61340.
ecotile 500/7/ESD
The ecotile range of conductive, dissipative and
anti-static foor tiles.
ecotile 501/7/ESD offers lower levels of surface resistance
(i.e. is more conductive) than ecotile 500/7/ESD. Only
available in black due to the carbon content, ecotile
501/7/ESD is suitable for high risk applications such as
ammunition and petrochemical plants.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The surface resistance of ecotile
501/7/ESD is equal to or, potentially, below the levels
generally accepted as the minimum safe level of surface
resistance to protect individuals from electric shock.
Composition & Manufacture
ecotile 501/7/ESD is manufactured from an environmentally
friendly plastic copolymer that incorporates a conductive
carbon additive.
Performance & Test Results
ecotile 501/7/ESD has been independently tested:
Surface resistivity: 3 x 10
3
to 2.3 x 10
5

Resistance to ground: 2.2 x 10

3
to 3 x 10
5

Static Decay at 15% humidity: <0.01sec

ecotile 501/7/ESD
ecotile 502/7/AS is an anti-static foor tile with a surface
resistance between 3.0 x 10
9
and 3.4 x 10
11
.. At these
levels the foor will not generate static electricity but neither
will it dissipate away any latent charge that an individual had
built up. ecotile 502/7/AS is suitable for areas where the risk
of electrostatic damage to components is low.
Composition & Manufacture
ecotile 502/7/AS is manufactured from tough PVC
compound incorporating a chemical additive that provides
the anti-static performance. The chemicals performance is
guaranteed for 2 years but can be signifcantly extended
when used in conjunction with Selstat anti-static foor
polish. ecotile has excellent wear characteristics, chemical
resistance, long term stability and stable electrical properties.
Performance & Test Results
ecotile 502/7/AS has been independently tested:
Surface resistivity: 3.0 x 10
9
and 3.4 x 10
11

ecotile 502/7/Anti-static
ecotile ESD static dissipative fooring - Test Results
TBA Electro Conductive Products certify that the foor tiles of reference E500/7/ESD & E501/7/ESD comply with the requirements of BS IEC
61340-5-1:2001 for ESD safe fooring. The samples tested had a surface resistivity of 3 x 10
6
and 2.2 x 10
4
and resistance to ground of
5.7 x 10
5
and 2.9 x 10
4
respectively. Tests were carried out in accordance with the requirements of Annex A.1 of BS IEC 61340-5-1:2001
ecotile ESD is offered with a lifetime guarantee that it will retain its ESD performance and that the tiles will create a safe conductive foor
surface that can be used as your primary ground. The test results guarantee that ecotile 500/7/ESD and 500/7/ESD complies with British
and international standard BS IEC 61340-5-1:2001
An Environmentally Sustainable Solution: ecotile ESD is produced from the highest quality pre and post consumer recycled material.
Once the tiles have reached the end of their useful life we will collect the tiles, free of charge, and recycle them to produce the next
generation of ecotile.
Cleaning & Maintenance: Sweep regularly to remove particle dirt and occasionally damp mop or use a rotary scrubber dryer to clean
the foor using a neutral pH foor cleaner diluted in between 1:80 and 1:50. Application of a hard wearing foor sealer will help maintain the
appearance of the foor and extend its lifespan. Please contact us for detailed cleaning and maintenance instructions and a list of approved
products.
Product & Technical Data
Format Dimensions Thickness Weight/m
Tile 500 x 500mm 7mm 7.15 to 9kgs
Colours Surface Finish Pack Size Coverage per pack/m
See above Smooth Texture 10 tiles 2.5m
Fire Classifcation Mean Slip Resistance Value Chemical Resistance
Durability / Anticipated Life
Span
BS 476:7 Class 1 Dry: Extremely Low / Wet: Low Good / Excellent 20 + years
The Versatile Flooring Company
1 Devonshire Business Centre
Cranborne Industrial Estate
Potters Bar Hertfordshire EN6 3JR
T: + 44 (0) 01707 800060
F + 44 (0) 1707 657282
www.versatilefooring.co.uk
info@versatilefooring.co.uk
Copyrights 2007 The Versatile Flooring Company Ltd., All rights reserved.