Tech Talk: Static Electricity and ESD - How It Works and How to Control It

August 13, 2024 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US)

Jeremy Smallwood shows, using simple experiments, how static electricity can build up, how it behaves and how it can cause electrostatic discharge (ESD). He demonstrates that charge is easily separated by everyday activities and voltages can appear or disappear according to how the charge moves around and is stored. Using simple circuits, Ohm’s Law and capacitance (and an alternative explanation for those who don’t like circuits!) he explains why resistance of materials is usually a key factor and why we often specify a maximum resistance in static control. Finally, he talks about grounding and how it is used in an ESD control program.

Presenter: 

Jeremy Smallwood, Electrostatic Solutions Ltd. 

Jeremy has worked in electrostatics and ESD control since the late 1980’s. He formed Electrostatic Solutions Ltd in 1998 to provide electrostatics consultancy, training and R&D services for industry and works with British and IEC standards Committees. He is a frequent author and collaborator in journal and conference papers and was awarded Best Paper at the 2020 ESDA Symposium. He was awarded the 2010 ESD Association Industry Pioneer Award, and 2017 International Fellow Award and 2022 Stig Lundquist Award at the European Electrostatics Conference. His book “The ESD Control Program Handbook” was published by Wiley in 2020.