I had an engineer once who thought the same, but I concluded it was a wishful thought and misguided justification for not bothering to go to a static protected area with the parts. The foam is fine while inside proper packing, but the pink stuff is not very wonderful protection against static (or it used not to be). Components can suffer static damage even in the foam if the handler has not been grounded first. Ask him where his proof is for this piece of knowledge. Most components are less sensitive to static once they are in an assembly, but that doesn't mean they're completely safe, and why take needless chances? I was taught that a component or an assembly is only protected when completely surrounded by static protective material - something akin to lightening travelling round the skin an aircraft fuselage instead of through it. Just having a layer of protective material between you and the assembly is not accepted as sufficient.ANSI/ESD S20.20 should help solve the dispute Pete Duncan Neda Thrash <nthrash@PEAV To: [log in to unmask] EY.COM> cc: (bcc: DUNCAN Peter/Asst Prin Engr/ST Aero/ST Group) Sent by: Subject: [TN] ESD Approved Packing Foam vs. Static TechNet Shielding Bags <[log in to unmask] ORG> 05/22/01 01:30 AM Please respond to "TechNet E-Mail Forum."; Please respond to Neda Thrash ** High Priority ** Hello everyone! I need help settling a dispute. I am aware of the fact that the pink foam designed for packing esd sensitive assemblies helps eliminate the possibility of a charge being generated during a transport while cushioning the product but I have an engineer telling me that the assemblies are safe if holding the assembly in hand while ungrounded as long as the foam separates the hand at the point the pcb is held. If someone knows this to be true please send me more information on this because this contradicts what I have always been taught and what I am teaching. I need your help ASAP! TIA, Neda --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8d To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt delivery of Technet send the following message: SET Technet NOMAIL Search previous postings at: www.ipc.org > On-Line Resources & Databases > E-mail Archives Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8d To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt delivery of Technet send the following message: SET Technet NOMAIL Search previous postings at: www.ipc.org > On-Line Resources & Databases > E-mail Archives Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------