Advances in electronics depend on the development of ever faster and more complex chips able to deliver more processing power and data storage for less money.

As new products are being developed at a phenomenal pace, a serious production and handling problem is taking shape. As circuits get faster and smaller they also become more sensitive to accidental electrical discharge. A mere 5V charge, a charge which can be found almost anywhere, coming in contact with a chip's many leads, can destroy it. Worse, a damaged chip my not fail immediately and may indeed pass all factory tests, only to fail later in the field. The sudden malfunction at a critical time of a collision detector, radar or engine control system, is usually disastrous.

Therefore, protection of electronic components from static electricity at all stages of the manufacturing process is becoming crucial. Unless ways can be found to protect chips unconditionally at all times, in storage as well as during transport and assembly, the functional integrity of the end product cannot be guaranteed. What is at stake here is realizing the benefits, both financial and technical, of continued electronic development.

At present, the estimated annual loss caused by static damage is around $13 billion and growing. It should therefore come as no surprise that the market for handling devices designed to minimize static damage and assure maximum protection to components is growing in importance and size.

GLOBAL KITTING has developed a line of kitting systems that combine the 4 main functions of electronic manufacturing - kitting, storage, transportation and assembly - into one device. This minimizes handling and exposure of components to "static events", defined as exposure to electrical hazards and possible damage.

The term "static event" signals the advent of a new concept in quality control. The mere suspicion that a component has been exposed to static events can lead to the decision to scrap thousands of dollars of product, since it is virtually impossible to establish beyond doubt that a component has suffered no damage. To put it another way, it no longer suffices to inspect parts and eliminate the bad ones (innocent until proven guilty). Parts may have to be scrapped on the mere suspicion of having been exposed to a damage causing event (guilty because innocence cannot be proved).

Click here for:

• Information on conductive plastic materials.
• Information on ROYALSTAT R63 thermoplastic sheet from Royalite. (pdf file)