Howard, this subject has been bantered around for a long time. Everyone has there own opinion and here is mine.
"Direct assembly operators and others who handle boards and components to use the new Static Dissipative finger cots. Change them often. Don't scratch your nose or other body parts and then handle boards and components, put on a new set of cots! Use of this kind of cot kills two stones with one bird; ESD protection and lessens contamination from the human body (salt and other excresions)."
The Static Dissipative finger cots are available from Contact East (page 256 of Catalog Vol 73) and other sources I am sure.
 

Ron Dieselberg 
Trainer/Auditor 
CMC ELECTRONICS 
CINCINNATI 
[log in to unmask] 

-----Original Message-----
From: Howard Watson [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 16:46 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [TN] Finger cots/Gloves/nothing?



Advice requested, 

I'm sure this topic has been broached before, but I would like to solicit your opinions on the subject of using fingercots or gloves verses using bare hands when handling components or PCB's before soldering or conformal coating (IPC Class II).  I tried to do a TechNet search on this, but it failed to go through for some reason.   

I am of the opinion that careful handling of components or PCB's by their non-soldering surfaces with clean bare hands is the way to go.  Of course, it is up to manufacturing personnel to keep their hands in a clean condition.  From what I have seen, gloves just tend to soak up and disperse multiple contaminants on soldering surfaces and they give personnel a false sense of security.  Any thoughts?  Thanks in advance for the advice. 

Howard Watson
SMT Manufacturing Engineer
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