Statguard Flooring - Questions And Answers

I have been tasked with insuring our tools are properly grounded, some of which are air drivers. How do I make sure these are properly grounded, and how do I test them for grounding? - Terry Smith, Gurnee, IL,

You should check with the hand tool's manufacturer for recommended grounding practices.

The ESD Association's standards state:

ANSI/ESD S20.20
6.2.6.1. AC Powered Tools
The working part of AC powered tools should be capable of providing a conductive path to ground. New powered hand tools such as soldering irons typically should have a tip to ground resistance of less than 1.0 ohm as also stated in ESD DS 13.1.
Note - This resistance may increase with use but should be less than 20.0 ohms for verification purposes.

6.2.6.2. Battery Powered and Pneumatic Hand Tools
Battery powered and pneumatic hand tools while being held should have a resistance to ground of less than 1 X 10^12 ohms.

Verifying ground can be done with an standard ohmeter when testing less than 1 ohm, but will need to measured with a megohmeter when testing less than 1 tera ohm.

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