Only ESDP hand tools should be used in the EPA. Manufacturer recommendations for usage and cleaning shall be followed. Component holding trays, microscopes, and other devices or fixtures commonly found in an EPA shall be constructed of metal or permanent static dissipative plastic and shall be maintained at ground potential by placing them on a grounded tabletop while in service at the workstation.
A good practice is to have the technician always touch the metal portion of a tool when picking it up. This practice will assure that any charged metal in the tool will discharge through the technician’s wrist strap to ground.
Soldering Equipment
Soldering iron and desoldering/rework system tips shall be grounded. The resistance between the tool’s tip and its ground shall not exceed 10 ohms. All soldering iron tip grounds in an EPA shall be periodically verified. The test methodology is found in ESD DS13.1 “ESD Association Standard Test Method for Measuring Electrical Potential from Soldering/Desoldering Hand Tools”.
Desoldering Equipment
Only ESD-protective desoldering equipment shall be used when working on ESD sensitive hardware. Only antistatic solder suckers made from metal or having at least a metallized plastic barrel and dissipative tip shall be used in an EPA.
Common Ground at the Workstation
All tools, equipment, or fixtures (such as lead forming tools, test fixtures, lights and solder pots, etc.) that are too large to be placed on the protective work surface shall be connected to the common ground point.
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