Electronics

In addition, there are electronic components and subassemblies, circuit boards, microprocessors, drives and storage modules. Large or small, electronics equipment is vulnerable to physical and climatic hazards, and to electrostatic discharge (ESD).

ESD can be caused by a number of factors, including friction, weather conditions and proximity to other equipment, so the correct choice of packaging materials is vital to protect electronic products from:

• Static electricity, generated through ‘tribocharging’, which can occur from friction between certain plastic packaging materials.
• Electrostatic induction, caused by the presence of an electrically charged object creating areas of excess +ve and –ve charges.

Macfarlane Packaging’s design and packaging team can provide a number of defensive techniques to protect vulnerable products from such potentially catastrophic hazards. These can involve specially treated materials to shield or dissipate the effects of ESD, and a static-free production environment.

We can also advise about protection in customers’ packing and unpacking areas, where the use of antistatic and nonconductive materials can reduce the risk of a damaging charge, and shielding or dissipative measures can protect from electrostatic spikes.