Desco made our first crude version of a wrist strap for an aerospace customer in Southern California. The wrist strap was basically a metal watchband connected to a wire with a ring terminal on it. There were no industry accepted standards, qualification procedures, or certification processes at that time. ESD susceptible components used in electronics production was a whole new world for everyone. The ESD Association (ESDA) celebrated the 40th anniversary of the ESD Symposium this past year. The ESDA has been instrumental in establishing the guidelines for ESD Control Plans in that time.
But, what does ESD control look like today? The ESDA’s InCompliance article titled What comprises the state-of-the-art in ESD control today? gives us an idea of what is expected in today’s manufacturing processes and what to expect in the future.
