Rokatec under the spell of Faraday

For months, all Rokatec employees are under the spell of 'the cage'. Rokatec has started ESD phase 1. Since 20-4-2015 Rokatec is ready for the implementation of ESD.

However, what is ESD? ESD stands for electro static discharge. .... Besides water, ESD is one of the biggest enemies of electronics. Producers must meet a number of conditions to avoid this. ESD can damage electronics without knowing it.. Most of us have already had a personal experience with some kind of electrostatic discharge. . Ever stepped out of the car while getting an electric shock?, or due to walking on the carpet on your socks and touched somebody else with your fingertop?? The shock that you feel is often more than 3000 Volt and very unpleasant. However, for people it is a minor inconvenience compared to the damage it causes to ESD electronic components.

ESD and Rokatec 3A damage caused due to ESD is not directly always possible to be determined . In practice, 30V can already causes damage to ESD sensitive components. This is a small fraction we sometimes experience as a person. It is possible that the components function properly at first and only weeks later inexplicably fail. 23% of all damaged electronic components has an ESD cause. In Rokatec we want to prevent this at an early stage to avoid problems later. The time when problems occur in the supply chain has directly financial consequences for an organization.

Costs that may incur as a result of ESD damage vary enormously . A faulty circuit board of 50 euro at the beginning of the chain can cause in the most extreme cases, a crash of a satellite or plane, with a damage value of more than 150.000.000 euro. Not talking about the indirect costs yet, such as delays and additional investments that come with it. Companies such as NASA are working with very strict ESD protocols .

Rokatec went into an attack mode against ESD

More and more products are related to electronics. What has Rokatec done so far to face up to ESD in the future? First of all Rokatec checked all products in the portfolio which are sensitive to ESD during production and / or product development. We also looked at what stage of production ESD might cause a problem. With the departments involved all the responsibilities are determined to prevent ESD. Furthermore, we looked how to deal with the Rokatec communication both internally and externally to customers and suppliers. After a thorough internal analysis and discussions with all related customers it has been decided to start internally with phase 1.

Rokatec fase 1

  • Inkomende goederen
  • QC
  • Internal transport and logistics
  • Magazijn 1 en 2
  • Assembly in the EPA
  • Mobile EPA
  • Afkeur goederen ESD
  • Zichtbaar ESD
  • Speciale ESD kleding
  • Training medewerkers

No electric charge, no discharge!

Rokatec currently is processing all static-sensitive components on secure workstations and a secure assembly line: the EPA (ESD Protected Area). All static sensitive components must be packed in special shielding bags. This is a gray-colored aluminum bag, en werkt hetzelfde als de kooi van Faraday waardoor statische elektrische velden niet tot binnen de kooi kunnen doordringen. Black conductive transport and assembly , bags and boxes contain carbon particles and are therefore suitable as packaging and storage for ESD-sensitive components. A personal wristband with 1 megohm connects each employee during production on an ESD safe base . Tevens heeft elke werknemer speciale kleding en schoeisel om veilig deel te nemen aan het proces. Warehouse 1 and 2 are equipped with special locations and transit lines to the production for ESD sensitive products.

Conclusie ESD

To answer the question what is ESD and which consequences for electronics has ESD, you are now able to the answer this question globally: Bij Rokatec zorgen wij voor de juiste ontlading! The conclusion is that ESD prevention is therefore necessary when working on electronics such as printed circuit boards.

Pascal Arts

P.s. For more information please consult the sales team in De Meern.

Niemand zit immers te wachten op weigerachtige en onbetrouwbare producten.

Pascal Arts - Project Manager

Pascal Arts interim bij Rokatec