Tiếng Việt
中文 (中国)
This article presents an overall flooring solution for electronics plants: zoning the plant, choosing a coating system for each zone, designing grounding, controlling dust and static, cleaning, and acceptance testing in operation. This is a different angle from the article Anti-Static Epoxy Flooring for Cleanrooms and Electronics Plants, which focuses only on the mechanism and requirements of anti-static control: dissipation versus conduction, grounding points, and periodic testing. Read together, the two articles give the full picture: the other article explains why a floor must control static, while this article shows how to implement that floor across the whole plant.
Why does an electronics plant need an overall flooring solution, not just one coating?
In an electronics plant, risk is not confined to a single location. Components can be damaged by an electrostatic discharge in the assembly area, dust can cause defects in the inspection area, and trolleys and pallets can wear the floor on transport routes. If a single coating is chosen for the whole plant, the most sensitive area may still lack protection, while a less sensitive area bears unnecessary cost. An overall solution starts by dividing the plant into zones according to sensitivity, and only then choosing a coating system for each zone.
Step 1: Zone the plant by sensitivity to static and dust
A commonly used zoning approach separates at least four groups of areas. The production and assembly area for sensitive components is where static control requirements are strictest. The inspection and packaging area needs to be clean and stable, but its sensitivity may differ from the assembly area. The warehouse for components and materials needs a durable floor that bears loads and is easy to clean. Corridors, forklift routes and technical areas mainly need abrasion resistance, load bearing and clear traffic marking. Zoning must be agreed with the production department and the quality department of the plant, because they are the ones who determine which components are sensitive and which processes generate the most dust.
Step 2: Choose the coating system for each zone
In areas sensitive to static, an anti-static coating system is the appropriate choice in principle, for example the StatGuard system. In areas that need a flat, seamless and easy-to-clean floor, such as cleanrooms or inspection areas, a self-levelling system such as the LevelFlow system is often considered. In warehouses, corridors and less sensitive areas, a roller-applied system such as the RollCoat system can meet the requirements for substrate protection, dust control and colour zoning at a more reasonable cost. The important point is that boundaries between zones must be handled decisively: the location where the coating system changes, the zone colours and the wall-base detail must be clearly stated in the construction drawings, rather than left for workers to decide on site.
Step 3: Design grounding and connection points from the start
An anti-static floor only works when electric charge has a controlled path down to the grounding system. The location of grounding points, how the floor connects to the plant grounding system, and how each point is tested must therefore be designed before construction, and cannot be added arbitrarily after the floor is finished. The investor should ask the contractor to present a grounding-point layout, the density of points by the area of each zone, and the post-construction testing method, and compare them with the technical requirements the plant applies. A single missed grounding point can leave a whole zone without static control even though it still looks normal on the surface.
Step 4: Control dust and static during construction and handover
Construction in an operating electronics plant, or in a plant about to start operating, needs its own dust-control plan: shielding the construction area, extracting dust when grinding the substrate, setting routes for workers and materials, and scheduling the handover of each zone. Grinding dust settling on a new floor or on sensitive equipment would waste the effort put into the whole coating system. In addition, while waiting for the floor to reach a usable state, it must be clearly specified who may enter which area, and in what footwear and clothing, so the surface is not damaged and static is not built up just before acceptance testing.
Step 5: Cleaning, maintenance and periodic testing in operation
Static control must be maintained after a period of use, not only achieved at acceptance testing. The operating plan should therefore include three parts: a cleaning procedure suited to each coating system (permitted cleaning agents, cleaning frequency, and tools that do not generate dust), a periodic testing schedule for the floor static-dissipation performance, and rules for handling a zone that fails a test — for example isolating the zone, deep cleaning, or local repair before that zone returns to production. A floor that is scratched, peeling or dirty over a long period can change its static-control performance, so floor maintenance is part of product-quality maintenance, not only a matter of keeping the plant looking clean.
Operational acceptance: what to check before putting the plant into production?
Before a plant goes into production, the investor should carry out acceptance testing zone by zone rather than accepting the whole plant in general terms. The acceptance checklist includes: a seamless surface with no blistering; colours and zone markings matching the drawings; a sufficient number of grounding points, with measurements meeting the applicable requirements; a surface that withstands the plant cleaning procedure; and a handover file stating the coating system for each zone, the grounding-point locations, and the periodic testing schedule. If one zone has not yet passed, only that zone should be isolated for remedial work, rather than putting the whole plant into production and dealing with it afterwards.
Common mistakes
- Using one coating system for the whole plant: it saves cost at first but may leave the most sensitive area without protection.
- Designing grounding after construction: connection points added late usually do not achieve the reliability of points designed from the start.
- Accepting by eye only: an anti-static floor that looks good does not necessarily control static well; test results are required.
- Having no periodic testing schedule: static-control performance declines with use without anyone noticing.
Note on specifications: the content above describes the general characteristics of epoxy coating materials and how to organise a flooring solution for electronics plants in general, with reference to TCVN 9014:2011 and TCVN 12574-2018 where relevant. No Kadier-specific specification values are stated in this article; parameters specific to each system must be checked against that system’s official technical documentation (TDS) where published, and must not be inferred from the general guidance above.
Illustration photo: Vjanodic WERSOV on Pexels.
