With electronic components becoming smaller and more sensitive, it’s vital to be sure they are protected from ESD events including static discharge. As stated in ANSI/ESD S20.20, “Protective packaging is required to store, transport, and protect ESDS electronic items during all phases of production.” As stated in the more recent 2018 requirements for ANSI/ESD S541, the shielding requirement was updated such that additional discharge for the bags should be less than 20 nanojoules. The Pink Poly bag is one of the more popular low charging bags. The bags are made with a tinted polyethylene material with an antistatic coating which can wear away. Over time, this turns the bag an insulator, making it noncompliant to ANSI/ESD S541 recommendations. They are also lacking discharge shielding protection which allows components within the bag to be vulnerable to ESD event damage. Metallized Shielding bags are manufactured from a metalized polyester film and a low charging polyethylene laminate. This provides the bags with a shielding layer that creates a Faraday cage protecting the ESD-sensitive components in the bag from possible ESD event damage. The low charging inner layer and outer layers of the bag prevent tribocharging from occurring, which minimizes the buildup of ESD charges when handling components.

Have you been questioned by your quality manager about shelf life on ESD bags? Perhaps it is an internal quality procedure that’sbeing written and you want to know the manufacturer’s thoughts on the shelf life of ESD packaging. Today we will address the details of ESD Static Control bag storage and how it relates to expected shelf life. There are thousands of things to consider when looking at shelf life. Temperature, storage rack conditions, how it was transported, even local climate just to name a few, so the key points are:

• Avoid extremes: Hot, cold, sunlight, moisture, add controls when possible
• In a controlled environment, our ESD bags have seen 5 yrs. of proven shelf life.
• As a best practice, follow the FIFO process for inventory control.
• ESD static bag manufacturers that we represent offers a 1 year warranty from the date of purchase. You need to audit annually or prior to use as a best practice and assure that your devices are receiving maximum protection.
• If bags are questionable, recycle them at your local recycler and order more from Restronics South Central.