What’s New for ESD Garments in ANSI/ESD S20.20-2007?

By Gene Felder and Penny Butler

Statshield ESD Smocks reliably meets all three ANSI/ESD S20.20-2007 ESD Garment categories including the most stringent Groundable Static Control Garment System required limit of < 3.5 x 10E7 ohms.  Statshield ESD Smocks have the best warranty in the industry (see 2 Year Limited Warranty) covering a minimum of 2 years or 100 launderings whichever comes first.  Ask for the independent test lab report where the highest reading was 2.49 X 10E6 ohms after 100 launderings. 

ANSI/ESD S20.20 was updated in 2007 and covers the requirements necessary to design, establish, implement, and maintain an ESD control program to protect electrical or electronic parts, assemblies and equipment susceptible to ESD damage from Human Body Model (HBM) discharges greater than or equal to 100 volts.  ANSI/ESD S20.20-2007 is available at no charge from the ESD Association web site at www.ESDA.org.

ESD Garments have a number of significant changes, now listed as an EPA ESD Control Item in Table 3.  Two Test Methods are listed.  ANSI/ESD STM2.1 is listed as the test method for Product Qualification. Product qualification is normally conducted during the initial selection of ESD control products and materials. Any of the following methods can be used: product specification review, independent laboratory evaluation or internal laboratory evaluation.

The new second test method is ESD TR53-2006 for Compliance Verification.  Note: this Technical Report provides periodic verification test methods and troubleshooting guidance to assist the user. 

The S20.20 resistance values are now required as the previous Table column heading  “Recommended Range” is now the “Required Limit”.

New in ANSI/ESD S20.20-2007 are three Garment categories:

Per section 8.2 Personnel Grounding
“All personnel shall be bonded or electrically connected to the grounding / equipotential bonding
system when handling ESDS items. The personnel grounding method(s) shall be selected from
Table 2.
NOTE: Use of a garment to achieve personnel grounding shall be documented in the ESD Control Program Plan. The garment shall be electrically conductive from one sleeve to the next and must also meet the system resistance requirements defined in Note 2 in Table 2.”

Note 2 reads “For situations where an ESD garment is used as part of the wrist strap grounding path, the total system resistance including the person, garment and grounding cord shall be less than 3.5 x 10E7 ohms.”

Statshield ESD Smocks reliably meets the Groundable Static Control Garment System required limit of < 3.5 x 10E7 ohms.  This also allows your operators to work “hands-free” because the coil cord is no longer connected to the wrist, but is attached to the “hip-to-cuff” grounding snap on the left hip of the Statshield smock.

Count on Statshield ESD Smocks to provide long and reliable life protecting your ESD sensitive products improving your operation’s quality, productivity, and reliability.