ElectraGuard ESD Epoxy Flooring, a case study.
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 The
new ANSI/ESD S 20.20-2007 criteria for testing of esd flooring now clearly favors esd flooring that falls in the static
conductive <1.0E06 versus the static dissipative (>1.0E06 and <1.0E09) range of
electrical conductivity. Due to these recent changes, testing of
anti-static (static dissipative) esd flooring has become more cumbersome
and time consuming. Slightly compromised (dirty) anti-static esd
flooring often fails combination resistance testing of technician / heel
grounders and flooring. And (due to the high resistance levels of
some anti-static floors) carts, chairs and trolleys (in conjunction with
static dissipative flooring) are in many cases not conductive enough to pass
many of the new requirements.
Quantum
Corporation anticipated these changes years ago and began evaluation of esd
flooring options as a replacement for their static dissipative esd
rubber flooring. In addition to conductivity, Quantum's needs dictated a
flooring material that was economical, easy to clean and could handle
rolling loads without mechanical failure (the original esd flooring was
rubber and failed miserably with rolling loads). Their choice: 62,000 square feet of
ElectraGuard
ESD Flooring Epoxy (3 coats) top coated
with two coats of ElectraGuard High Gloss Sealer.
The
ElectraGuard High-Gloss Esd Flooring System is much more resilient than mere
floor
paints although application and preparation are similar. It's warranted for lifetime conductivity. It's economical, long
lasting, fully ROHS compliant and very resistant to wear from rolling
and mechanical loading. The ElectraGuard System can be high speed polished for a mirror like shine
or left "as applied" (as was this floor) producing slightly less shine (with
increased slip resistance). This ESD Flooring system typically
falls in the static conductive range (<1.0E06 depending on the
substrate).
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ElectraGuard
ESD flooring System: 4 Year wear evaluation
Click Photo's to Expand |
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Newly
installed test area.
ElectraGuard ESD Epoxy sealed with ElectraThane
and
ElectraGlaze ESD Floor finish. |
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6 Months: well
bonded, easy to clean, excellent conductivity, no
deformation from heavy loads. |
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2 Years: Well bonded
but floor finish has worn off the (purposely not
maintained) sample area. Harder to clean but still excellent
conductivity. No wear evident on Epoxy. |
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07/14/2010: The above three photo's
represent 4 years worth of wear to the ElectraGuard ESD
floor paint system that has received no maintenance over the
course of this testing procedure. Conductivity remains at
<1.0E06, no flaking breaking or delamination is evident in
the coating. Photo 3 shows that the coating has now been
worn to a shiny gloss, 2 small sections of the concrete have
now broken free (minor concrete spalling is typical for
this portion of the concrete). |
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In
the above testing procedure the ElectraGuard ESD flooring sample was tested for
structural integrity, bond strength, conductivity and wear resistance in the busiest portal of Quantum
Corporation in Colorado Springs Colorado. This sample
is subjected to about
200 forklift loads (about 1,500 lbs ea) per day minimum.
After 6 months The System stayed well bonded, no
release from the concrete slab, the light gray area has been cleaned with
ElectraClean and a rag. "It was like removing dirt
from Teflon." Conductivity: RTG 2.3E05. After Two
years the
ElectraGuard
High Gloss Sealer has worn off
(the sample was purposely not maintained).
This has made the sample area much harder to clean. However, conductivity remains excellent as does structural integrity
and bond to concrete. The Epoxy has shown no release or wear.
After 4 years conductivity remains at <1.0E06 (excellent)
coating exhibits no bond strength failure issues, negligible
wear and no visual flaking braking or delamination of the
installed floor paint system |
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ElectraGuard
ESD flooring System: Installation,
Phase One,
Quantum Hard Drive, Colorado Springs CO.
Note: Click to
Expand all Photos |
ElectraGuard
ESD flooring System: Installation,
Phase Two,
Quantum Hard Drive, Colorado Springs CO.
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Preparation of
concrete. We've removed the failed esd rubber flooring
and adhesive. Filled, sanded and vacuumed
the slabs. This is the most time consuming
portion of the project |
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The
Initial coat of
ElectraGuard Epoxy will exhibit slight light and dark areas.
After 3 coats the color is pretty consistent but
the Guard is still a dull "matt" type
finish |
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We've
allowed the ElectraGuard 3 days to cure and now
applied 2 coats of ElectraGuard HighGloss Sealer
for an outstanding Diamond Like Shine!
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FINAL RESULTS? ESD
flooring that provides superb conductivity, wear performance
that rivals thick set (hard to apply and expensive) epoxy
and even that of esd vinyl tile all at a fraction of the
associated cost. The system is fully reparable if
scratched (light sanding with a vibratory sander works well
followed by a re coat of ElectraGlaze). The
ElectraGuard System is easy to maintain (typical; dust mop
daily, damp mop weekly and polish off scuff marks as needed)
similar to maintenance of ANY ESD flooring. The ElectraGuard
System meets stringent new specifications for conductivity
as issued in ANSI/ESD S 20.20-2007. since it typically falls
in the ESD conductive range it can easily be tested via
standard resistivity test equipment such as our
RT1000
(unlike static dissipative flooring that now
must be tested for electrostatic generation potential with
very specialized equipment).
Final Electrical readings
ElectraGuard High Gloss Esd Flooring System
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