Category Archives: In-Plant Handler
Do Protektive Pak In-Plant Handlers Need to Have Lids on While ESD Sensitive Items are in Them?
Outside the ESD protected area (EPA), the Protektive Pak lids need to be in place to provide the electrostatic discharge shielding ESD control property which is required by the Packaging standard ANSI/ESD S541. Per section 6.2 Outside an EPA “Transportation of sensitive products outside of an EPA shall require packaging that provides: 1. Low charge generation. 2. Dissipative or conductive materials for intimate contact. 3. A structure that provides electrostatic discharge shielding.”
Inside the EPA, it would still be a good idea to have the lid in place, but it is not a requirement. The Protektive Pak impregnated corrugated has a buried shielding layer. In shielding, we utilize the fact that electrostatic charges and discharges take the path of least resistance. The charge will be either positive or negative; otherwise the charge would balance out and be no charge.
Like charges repel and so the electrostatic charge will reside on the outer conductive surface.
A Faraday Cage effect can protect ESDS contents in a container with a shielding layer (this is what a shielding bag has). This Faraday Cage effect protects people in real life when a lightning bolt strikes an airplane or automobile with the charge residing on the outer metal fuselage or car body.
The Faraday cage effect causes charges to be conducted around the outside the surface of the conductor. Since like charges repel, charges will rest on the exterior.
To complete the enclosure, make sure to place lids on boxes or containers, and close shielding bags. Packaging with holes, tears, or gaps should not be used as the contents may be able to extend outside the enclosure and lose their shielding as well as mechanical protection.
To ask an ESD question Click Here
To view In-Plant Handlers Click Here
Protektive Pak Tek Search – Finding the Best In-Plant Handler for your Circuit Board
Find the right size In-Plant Handler for your Circuit Board – Click Here
Protektive Pak In-Plant Handlers and Kanban Systems
Kaizen or continual improvement programs should often involve the ESD control program. When quality defects occur, many corrective actions will be improvements to the ESD control program to prevent recurrence.
Muda or Waste includes The Seven Wastes: Defects, Overproduction, Transportation, Waiting, Inventory, Motion, and Overprocessing.
We recommend using ProtektivePak In-Plant Handlers as a Kanban system. Just start with the three dimensions of the loaded PCB or other ESD sensitive item and determined the optimal size In-Plant Handler. Go to Tek Search.
We recommend using Protektive Pak impregnated corrugated which has a surface resistance of 1 x 10E6 < 1 x 10E9 ohms and is in the middle of the dissipative range. The ESD Association Packaging standard ANSI/ESD S541 section 7.2.2 includes “Packaging materials that are in intimate contact with devices should be dissipative.”
ProtektivePak In-Plant Handlers reduce ESD and physical defects, and can reduce work-in-process inventory as well as eliminating wasteful non-value added activities. As a Kaban container the In-Plant Handler can replace some or all documents. Instead of planners generating work orders, determine how many In-Plant Handlers to have on the shop floor and when cells are empty they signal the need to manufacture more of a particular item. Knowing the quantity of cells in the In-Plant Handler, one can quickly glance at the number of empty cells and know the count.
Some users do use a Kanban card and attach to the In-Plant Handler using Protektive Pak Dissipative Document Holders.
Protektive Pak impregnated corrugated has a buried shielding layer. For ESD shielding protection, with the lid in place, the In-Plant Handler can be moved or shipped outside the ESD Protected Area eliminating the need for ESD shielding bags. Per Packaging standard ANSI/ESD S541 section 6.2 Outside an EPA “Transportation of sensitive products outside of an EPA shall require packaging that provides:
- Low charge generation.
- Dissipative or conductive materials for intimate contact.
- A structure that provides electrostatic discharge shielding.”
Note: the ESD Association sells most of their documents, however, the Packaging standard ANSI/ESD S541 is available as a free download. Go to www.ESDA.org, click “Standards”, then “Documents” and scroll down to Packaging for the yellow highlighted Complimentary PDF Download.
Do Protektive Pak In-Plant Handlers need to have lids on while ESD sensitive items are in them? How do these Protektive Pak In-Plant Handlers work?
Outside the ESD protected area (EPA), the Protektive Pak lids need to be in place to provide the electrostatic discharge shielding ESD control property which is required by the Packaging standard ANSI/ESD S541. Per section 6.2 Outside an EPA “Transportation of sensitive products outside of an EPA shall require packaging that provides: 1. Low charge generation. 2. Dissipative or conductive materials for intimate contact. 3. A structure that provides electrostatic discharge shielding.”
Inside the EPA, it would still be a good idea to have the lid in place, but it is not a requirement. The Protektive Pak impregnated corrugated has a buried shielding layer. In shielding, we utilize the fact that electrostatic charges and discharges take the path of least resistance. The charge will be either positive or negative; otherwise the charge would balance out and be no charge.
Like charges repel and so the electrostatic charge will reside on the outer conductive surface.
A Faraday Cage effect can protect ESDS contents in a container with a shielding layer (this is what a shielding bag has). This Faraday Cage effect protects people in real life when a lightning bolt strikes an airplane or automobile with the charge residing on the outer metal fuselage or car body.
The Faraday cage effect causes charges to be conducted around the outside the surface of the conductor. Since like charges repel, charges will rest on the exterior.
To complete the enclosure, make sure to place lids on boxes or containers, and close shielding bags. Packaging with holes, tears, or gaps should not be used as the contents may be able to extend outside the enclosure and lose their shielding as well as mechanical protection.
To ask an ESD question Click Here
To view In-Plant Handlers Click Here
How to Measure a Box
All three boxes contain the same measurements: 12″, 9″, and 5″. How you define them, i.e. length, width or depth, can make all the difference in the world.
Drawings show finished boxes. Measurements are for INSIDE dimensions of box. Length is always longer than the width (unless length and width are the same). Measurements should be given by LENGTH first, then WIDTH and last DEPTH (or height of box).
If your measurements are not given in the proper order, you will end up with a box you cannot use! Please measure carefully.
How You Measure a CIRCUIT BOARD is DIFFERENT than How You Measure a BOX.
Please remember . . . HOW you measure makes a difference!
Click Here for more measurement information.
How to Measure a Circuit Board
Drawings show how a circuit board fits into an In-Plant Handler. Measurements should be given by LENGTH first, then WIDTH, and last THICKNESS.
LENGTH: | is the dimension of the circuit board as it fits top to bottom in the box. |
WIDTH: | is the dimension of the circuit board as it fits left to right in the box. |
THICKNESS: | is the dimension of the circuit board as it fits between the dividing cells in the box. |
Your Circuit Board is:
Length_______” x Width_______” x Thickness_______”
a measurement of:
4-1/2″L x 7″W x 1/2″T
would measure like this:
the depth of the box.
How You Measure a CIRCUIT BOARD is DIFFERENT than How You Measure a BOX.
Please remember . . . HOW you measure makes a difference!
Click Here for more measurement information.
Introducing 4″ Depth Adjustable In-Plant Handler
![]() Adjustable partitions for flexibility |
Item | Cell Size |
# of Cells
|
1
|
25+
|
50+
|
100+
|
38700 | 4“ x 1.25“ x 1“ |
150
|
$37.67
|
$33.90
|
$32.21
|
$30.59
|
38701 | 4“ x 1.75“ x 2.25“ |
70
|
$31.32
|
$28.19
|
$26.78
|
$25.44
|
38702 | 4“ x 1.75“ x 3.5“ |
50
|
$28.60
|
$25.75
|
$24.45
|
$23.24
|
38703 | 4“ x 3.75“ x 1” |
75
|
$31.55
|
$28.40
|
$26.98
|
$25.63
|
38704 | 4“ x 3.75“ x 2.25“ |
35
|
$25.21
|
$22.69
|
$21.56
|
$20.48
|
38705 | 4“ x 3.75“ x 3.5“ |
25
|
$22.50
|
$20.24
|
$19.23
|
$18.27
|