4 key steps in ESD area renovation

As professionals in cutting-edge industries (electronics, automotive, defense, aeronautics, etc.) you are subject to efficiency and security requirements that do not allow for any errors. When renovating your company’s ESD areas, you need to combine four essential elements:

Meet current electrostatic discharge standards
Choose materials that are sufficiently resistant to the stresses exerted on them (mechanical, chemical, etc.)
Achieve the optimal waterproofing level
Limit the impact of renovation on your business

Gerflor, as part of its 'Improve your standards' policy, takes into account the challenges you face when installing ESD electro-conductive floor coverings.

Product

Pass audits and comply with applicable standards

Professionals in cutting-edge industries know that their sites must meet strict constraints regarding the risks associated with static electricity. When renovating flooring in an ESD area, the following international standards must be met:

Mainly used in Europe, IEC standard 61340-5-1 applies to electrical and electronic equipment that can be damaged by electrostatic discharge greater than or equal to 100 V.
By the same logic, this time for America and the USA, the ANSI/ESD S20.20 standard indicates that the company implements and maintains an electrostatic discharge control program to protect electrical and electronic products and equipment.

Identify the mechanical and chemical resistance level

The ESD electro-conductive floor covering installed, either new or under renovation, must be able to withstand the stresses exerted in your industry's daily activity. It must support heavy loads, whether it is the passage of electric pallet trucks or automated guided vehicles (AGVs). This floor covering must also be resistant to the most common chemicals used by cutting-edge industries (acids, bases, detergents, etc.)

Depending on your industry's sector, it is essential that you identify the required level of waterproofing. So, for cleanrooms, microelectronic production areas, it is necessary to choose an ESD electro-conductive flooring that provides an extra-clean solution. 100% waterproofing is thus required and can be guaranteed thanks to the different parts of the floor, the coving system and floors with wall protectors being joined together with welded joints.

Limit the impact of renovation on your business

The well-known saying “Time is Money” applies more than ever to cutting-edge industries, where any interruptions to activity, even temporary, can be costly and complicated to organize – not to mention recommissioning the machines after the floors have been renovated.

You can, for example, maintain production during renovation by organizing the flooring installation in successive blocks. To do this, it is necessary to find an industrial ESD flooring solution that does not effect the working environment (smell, dust) and whose installation is very quick, to avoid loss of earnings.

Choose a solution that meets these four requirements

To meet the standards for protection against damage caused by electrostatic discharge, waterproofing, resistance and productivity requirements, as part of its 'Improve your standards' policy, Gerflor has designed the GTI EL5 range. These electro-conductive and antistatic floor tiles can be installed in all areas of cutting-edge industries (production, packaging and storage areas for ESD-sensitive products, cleanrooms, data centers). They are ideal for renovating ESD areas because they can be installed quickly without patching, without floor preparation, without glue and therefore without drying time. Therefore, activity does not need to stop!

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