Polyonics Introduces New Antistatic Barcode Tracking Label Material for Static Sensitive Devices

Electronic device manufacturers today face device failures that are caused by electrostatic discharge (ESD) at the circuit board level.  ESD damage affects production yield, product reliability and profitability. As electronic devices become smaller and more complex the more sensitive they become to ESD.

Polyonics antistatic labels use TriboGardTM technology to produce low peel voltages (<100v per inch square) when their liners are removed. This helps prevent the generation of electrostatic charges during assembly that could lead to a discharge (ESD) and potentially damage the component or device

Polyonics has recently added the XF-784, a 1 mil matte antistatic, barcode tracking label material to their ESD label portfolio.  The matte top coat enhances print receptivity and the capability to withstand harsh fluxes and cleaning chemistry found in the PCB manufacturing process.  Furthermore, the matte label shows improved performance over the gloss coatings when exposed to a  non-reflow environment prior to cleaning.

The XF-784, along with the XF-781 and XF-782 gloss label materials were designed to address two major ESD concerns that standard labels can present.

First, they reduce the charge generated on the adhesive when the label is removed from the liner. That charge can discharge and destroy sensitive components during application. Polyonics antistatic label materials provide peel voltages of less than 100 volts per inch square. This significantly reduces the electro-static charge generated when the label is removed from the liner (known as  tribocharging).

Second, after the label has been applied and during the label life these materials are designed to prevent significant charge build-up on the label surface which can result in a static discharge event.  With a label surface resistance between 1.0 x 10⁸ and 1.0 x 10¹¹ ohms these labels are in the dissipative range. This means after the label has been applied and during the label life, the label is designed to prevent significant charge build up on the label surface (tribocharging) which could later result in a static discharge event at the board level.

Applications for antistatic materials include:

• Identification of static sensitive PCB's
• Tracking of static sensitive electronic components
• Static sensitve ESD packaging
• Static sensitive warranty labeling