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Any safe working environment – or at least one that aspires to be – will benefit from having ESD brushes as part of a static control toolkit. Let’s take a look at what the key features of an ESD brush are.
Electrostaticity - what is it?
Each of us has been “kicked” at least once by a sweater or the other person when they handed us something. The phenomenon of electrostaticity was involved in each of these ultimately harmless blows. It refers to the occurrence of electrical charges on the surfaces of bodies or inside them, which can remain at rest or be displaced. It is a phenomenon that can occur in various materials and is a fundamental aspect of electromagnetism. Electric charge can be positive (when a body loses electrons) or negative (when a body gains electrons). These charges can be generated by friction, electrostatic induction, or contact with other bodies. For example, when we rub a plastic toothbrush against our hair, electrons are transferred from one material to another, resulting in electric charges.
Electrostatic induction, on the other hand, occurs when electrical charges in one body attract or repel charges in another body without direct contact. Electrons can thus be moved from one body to another and cause them to become charged.
Neutralization occurs when a charged body loses its charge through contact with another body that has the opposite charge or through charge dissipation.
On the one hand, the phenomenon of electrostaticity has many practical applications in fields such as industry, medicine and energy, and on the other hand, it leads to damage to equipment, so it is important to be careful in handling charged bodies and take appropriate precautions. One of them is ESD antistatic brush.
Anti-static brush, or ESD brush - what is it?
In an electrostatic discharge (EPA) protected area, products are usually cleaned with a brush or compressed gas.
So how is an ESD brush different from an ordinary cleaning brush?
ESD anti-static brushes have been developed for use in static control environments, and their application is governed by international IEC standards.
They were developed to meet the specific (and growing) needs of the electronics industry, where static electricity or its accumulation is detrimental to the manufacturing process.
It’s no different with later use, but we’ll talk more about that. The ESD protection properties of ESD brushes distinguish them from unprotected brushes and brushes, which should not be used for electrostatic discharge-sensitive electronics.
ESD brush bristles dissipate static electricity, so they can be used when working with electronic components or cleaning delicate PCBs. Among enthusiasts soldering such prepared brushes are used to clean dust particles and solder residue from PCBs and other components, which are easily damaged by electrostatic discharge – even with proper care, small contaminants are easily overlooked. ESD brushes are usually made of horsehair or nylon bristles with a wooden or conductive polypropylene handle. They are also soft enough to clean delicate components on integrated circuits and workstation surfaces.
Why use ESD brushes
The accumulation of dust, dirt or solder is one of the most common occurrences around an electrical component.
Sometimes we don’t even realize the amounts of these unpleasant matter that can linger just under our fingers in keyboards.
Despite our sincerest intentions, electrical charges can also accumulate at every stage of electronics production and distribution, from departure from the factory, to handling the assembly of the device, to testing and shipping the product.
Without proper safety measures, these charges can damage electrostatic-sensitive components.
That’s why ESD inspection products, such as the ESD brush, are indispensable in industries dealing with electronics. ESD brushes help maintain the quality, reliability and functionality of electronic equipment. There are, of course, limits to how far even the smallest brush can reach, but having ESD brushes and using them regularly is certainly that first “line of defense” and good practice. Imagine, for example a computer power supply. If dust accumulates inside the unit and no cleaning action is taken, the dust can affect the computer’s performance in two ways – first, the computer’s components will trap heat, and second, it will make it difficult for the internal fans to remove heat from the system. From there, it’s not far from costly servicing and replacing parts.
Risk of using brushes without ESD
When we come across a trace of dirt, our first thought is often to remove it as quickly as possible. However, the use of ordinary brushes to clean electrical components, circuit boards or integrated circuits should be avoided at all costs. An ordinary brush consists of highly charged insulating materials, such as certain types of plastics (and there are a whole lot of them, and they vary really considerably). These materials not infrequently generate a significant amount of electrostatic charge. When the brush is dragged over an electrical component, a tri-electric charge occurs due to contact and separation of the brush bristles from the component.
This electrostatic charge can discharge on a product and cause irreversible ESD damage. In the distribution world, it is often not detected until the product is shipped. Let’s make one more point clear – an ordinary brush cannot be used at all to clean components just because the operator is fully grounded. The electrostatic charge should then remain on the brush’s fibers and handle.
