Material handling in the growing electric vehicle industry

Innovation in electric battery technology has paved the way for future transportation and exploration. We have seen a growing demand for conductive and static control foams for packaging and handling sensitive electronic components in the demanding electric vehicle industry.

To protect electronic components from electrostatic discharge and from bumps and drops during shipping and storage, the terms conductive (CN), static dissipative (SD) and antistatic (AS) are gaining much more traction in the industry.

What is the difference between these terms and what material should I choose?

CN, SD, and AS are terms related to the amount of surface resistivity a material provides. There are several standards that relate to this family of materials, so the best way is to identify the surface resistivity required for each of the applications. For foams intended to conduct or dissipate electrostatic discharge (ESD), the common measurement is surface resistivity, represented in OHM to the tenth power.

Static Control (SC)

We at Worldwide Foam use the term SC for our own brand XLPE with ESD properties. It has carbon added to the polymer blend to provide a surface resistivity range of 105 to 109 ohms, which spans both the static dissipative and conductive ranges.

Static Dissipative (SD)

This is a grade of foam that prevents or inhibits the buildup of static electricity with a surface resistivity of 106 to 1011 ohms. SD foams have a lower carbon content than conductive foams.

Conductive (CN)

The conductive foam is made from carbon with a permanent surface resistivity of 103 to 105 ohms. This offers faster transfer of any static charge to the grounding source.

Antistatic (AS)

This term is generally applied to a particular pink PE, not so much to an XLPE. It is a grade of foam that inhibits triboelectric charging (accumulation of an electrical charge by rubbing or contact with another material). Antistatic PE has an added temporary measure that dissipates over time.

Have you found an application where you need these materials?

Feel free to give us a call and we can discuss how Worldwide Foam can help you succeed in the electrical components market!

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