EMIT - Questions And Answers

We currently have our workstations set up, some with 2 ft. to 8 ft. ESD mats with 1 grounding wire and some are set up using a 24 ft. mat with a ground wire about every 4 to 5 ft. Could you tell me what the standard practice is on mat length and how many grounding wires are needed per length? Thank You, Robert Scott,Farmers Branch,TX

Technically each ESD mat should be individually grounded with a hard ground (< 1 ohm to power ground). Every ESD mat is different, there are homogeneous mats, two and three layer rubber and vinyl mats, very conductive and highly dissipative mats. It is important to clarify the mat type before implementing a grounding scheme.

You should follow the manufactures grounding recommendations for each mat installed. In some cases, long lengths of mats may need addition ground cords (for every so many square feet) to help minimize potential differences between two points on the mat.

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