Anti-Static Epoxy Flooring for Cleanrooms and Electronics Plants

In cleanrooms and electronics plants, a static discharge that people cannot feel can still damage components, cause product defects or create dust adhesion that is hard to control. Anti-static epoxy flooring is designed to control this phenomenon: instead of letting electrical charge accumulate on the surface and then discharge suddenly, the floor helps charge dissipate in a controlled way down to the earthing system.

Why Is an Ordinary Floor Not Enough for Cleanrooms and Electronics Plants?

Ordinary epoxy flooring can be clean, seamless and durable, but it is not designed to dissipate static electricity. In component manufacturing environments, a floor that only meets hygiene requirements is not enough; the floor must also be part of an overall static control system, comprising the floor, footwear, clothing, work equipment and the earthing system. If one link is missing, the static control effectiveness of the whole area decreases.

How Do Anti-Static and Conductive Differ?

In practice, people usually distinguish two levels of static control: static-dissipative systems and conductive systems. A conductive system dissipates charge faster, while a dissipative system controls the discharge rate at a slower level, safer for sensitive components. A product name is not enough to conclude which type a floor belongs to; classification must be based on measurement results under the standard or technical requirements applied by the customer, and must be confirmed by post-installation testing.

See the corresponding system: StatGuard system.

What Does an Anti-Static Floor System Comprise?

In general principle, an anti-static floor system is not just one coating layer. The system usually comprises a primer, a static-dissipative layer, a topcoat and earthing connection points designed in advance. The arrangement of earthing points, the connection method and the testing method must be calculated from the design stage, and cannot be added arbitrarily after the floor has been completed.

Accompanying Requirements That Cannot Be Separated

• Seamless and easy to clean: cleanrooms need a floor with few joints, low dust adhesion, resistant to the cleaning agents used in the plant cleaning process.
• Stable in use: static control capability needs to be maintained after a period of use, not only achieved at acceptance. A periodic testing plan is therefore part of the system, not a one-off task.
• Coordination with other equipment: anti-static footwear, work mats, workbenches and staff movement procedures all affect the final result.
• Thorough substrate preparation: damp, cracked or weak substrates all affect coating durability, including anti-static systems. See also: Concrete Floor Preparation Before Epoxy Coating: Grinding, Crack Repair, Moisture Testing and Standard Epoxy Flooring Installation Process, from Survey to Handover.

What Needs to Be Checked at Acceptance of an Anti-Static Floor?

1. Test static dissipation capability at many positions on the floor, by the method specified in the contract or the technical requirements of the customer.
2. Check the continuity of the earthing system and the connection points.
3. Check the surface: flatness, seamlessness, cleanability and resistance to the actual cleaning agents.
4. Establish a periodic testing plan and a suitable cleaning procedure, so that anti-static capability does not decline without anyone noticing.

Scope note: the content above describes the general characteristics of anti-static epoxy flooring materials and systems, with reference to TCVN 9014:2011 and TCVN 12574-2018 where relevant. This article does not publish resistance parameters, classifications or measurement results specific to the Kadier system; those parameters apply only when official technical documentation and measurement results for that specific product and project are available.

Illustration photo: Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.

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