For what it's worth, I completely endorse, agree with, and support what Drew said below. Yes, the ionizers have a cost, but they DO pay for themselves if used properly.
R. Dean Stadem

-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Drew meyer
Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2011 10:15 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [TN] Pneumatic Syringes and ESD

Doug,

Not asking a question is silly.  I responded to Inge offline but he suggested I share so here is the message I sent to him.  Some of this has already been covered but it may help to know that others have had to justify materials or systems that prevent or eliminate static charging.

Inge,
 
As a tech with some time in ESD management I might have a reply to your question.  It is not so much a question of generating the charge by flow of the coating.  The standing problem is what charge do all of the components of the syringe system arrive with and how much of a charge will they hold.  I have witnessed thin film resistors with nichrome elements damaged resulting in a significant change in their value.  The culprit was the housings that were brought to the assembly station and into which the PCB was being installed.  They were insulative material, somewhat expected when dealing with a low cost protective housing, Then add some method to transfer the charge including just an exposure to the field with subsequent exposure to ground and you can have damage.
 
My greatest concern to begin with would be the components of the system and their composition.  For instance insulative syringes in an insulative bag.  How much of a charge does each hold as they arrive at the workstation.
 
The worst danger is charge transfer from a point source.  A syringe tip would be a wonderful point source.  
 
The question of building a charge can be measured using a field strength meter to understand if there is a charge being generated.  This of course requires that all components of the system be neutral.  Expose everything to an ionizer.  Check for zero charge.  Dispense coating and check for charging on the components of the syringe system. 
 
As mentioned earlier if you do not want to manage process materials and you want control of insulative material charging, the solution is an ionizer.  
 
But the ionizer has its own cost as well.  Purchase price, Purchasing a charge plate monitor to check it, Routine calibrations to be sure it is working.  Worker and Engineering buy in (belief) in the fact that ionizers do work.  
 
Where I work at we still have engineers who have decided that they do not work and adamantly oppose them despite proof to the opposite.  We have co-workers who fail to turn them on though it is in their work instructions.  Other co-workers who run them all the time and move them to other work stations, they just view them as personal fans not a tool or ESD prevention device.  
 
ESD equals train train train and fight fight fight.  
 
Management wants to show customers that they have an ESD program they just want it to be (cheap + convenient = fight), have to prove every little thing has value and is worth doing.  
 
Co-workers must understand that steps they take are important and not just regimentation (lack of understanding + inconvience = train).  Every co-worker that I was able to show how an ionizer worked always turned them on.  Many told me before the demonstration they did not believe in them.  The demonstration:  Peel tape off of a roll.  Show the effects of static charge including attraction of the two to each other.  Bring the tape and then the roll in front of a field strenght meter.  This shows that one is charge to + thousands of volts the other to - thousands of volts.  Place roll and tape in the stream of an ionizer.  Place the roll and tape back in front of the field strength meter.  Each will show no charge.  Show that they now have no attraction.   This helps co-workers believe in the dangers of non-ESD safe tape on the production floor and that ionizers really do work.
 
Drew

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