Most plastics are insulators, so they hold static charge. That’s a problem for electronics handling, powder and fuel handling, and anything that attracts dust. The fix is a resin that bleeds charge away in a controlled way.
The three categories
| Category | Roughly | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Insulative | Above ~1011 ohms/sq | Most standard plastics |
| Static-dissipative | ~105 to 1011 ohms/sq | Electronics trays, handling parts, housings |
| Conductive | Below ~105 ohms/sq | Grounding parts, fuel and powder handling, shielding |
Exact boundaries vary by standard; specify the range your customer or standard requires.
How plastics are made ESD-safe
- Carbon fiber: dissipative or conductive, and adds stiffness and strength at the same time.
- Carbon black: conductive and economical, but lowers impact strength and limits color to black.
- Permanent antistatic additives: keep more color options, at a cost.
- Topical antistatic coatings: temporary; they wear off.
What to specify
- The resistivity range, and the test method your customer uses.
- Whether the part also needs strength or wear resistance (carbon fiber helps both).
- Color requirements.
We supply carbon-filled nylon 6, nylon 66 and polypropylene. Carbon-filled nylon & PP →