With electronic components becoming smaller and more sensitive, it’s vital to ensure they are protected from ESD events such as static discharge. According to ANSI/ESD S20.20, “Protective packaging is required to store, transport, and protect ESDS electronic items during all phases of production.” According to the new 2018 requirements for ANSI/ESD S541, the shielding requirement was updated that additional discharge for the bags should be under 20 nanojoules. The Pink Poly bag is one of the more commonly used low charging bags. The bags are made of a tinted polyethylene material with an antistatic coating that may wear away. Over time, this makes the bag become an insulator, as such, it is no longer compliant to ANSI/ESD S541 recommendations. These bags also lack discharge shielding protection that allows components inside 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 them with a shielding layer which creates a Faraday cage protecting the ESD-sensitive components in the bag from any ESD event damage. The low charging inner and outer layer 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 is being written and you would like to know the manufacturer’s thoughts on the shelf life of ESD packaging. Well today we’ll look at the topic 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. Heat, conditions of the storage rack, how it was transported, even local climate just to name a few. So the key points are:

• Avoid extremes: heat, cold, sunlight, moisture, add controls when possible
• In a controlled environment, our ESD bags have seen 5 yrs. of proven shelf life.
• Follow the FIFO process as a best practice for inventory.
• ESD static bag manufacturers that we represent warranty the product for a period of 1 year from the date of purchase. Be sure to audit yearly or before use as a best practice and to be sure that your devices receive the best protection.
• If bags are questionable, recycle the bags at your local recycler and order a new lot from Restronics Metro.