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Will a 3D printed ESD dissipative housing prevent spark travelling through air hole to PCB?

Electrical Engineering Asked by Matthew T Watson on February 20, 2021

I have little clearance between my PCB and the air holes of its plastic housing, meaning an air discharge is able to conduct to the PCB through the hole. If I make the housing out of an ESD dissipative material will the spark discharge to this first as the ESD gun approaches, or will the housing’s resistance be too high?

I am considering dissipative plastics such as ABS-ESD7

2 Answers

I did some testing with a few materials and an ESD gun, shown here is for conductive foam. (I also did conductive plastic, not shown)

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The spark would find the nearest "conductive material". An interesting result was if a conductive aluminum plate was placed next conductive plastic, the spark actually preferred the plastic (the were almost identical heights.)

At the end of the day how conductive a material is doesn't matter much to a kV voltage, because once you start a plasma and breakdown occurs everything get's more conductive.

The conductive ABS-ESD7 has a volume resistivity of at least 10^4 Ω (highest being 10^9 Ω)

I have an ESD bench that has 10^9 Ω and sparks dissipate into that just fine, so at the end of the day I think you'll be fine. Any ESD events should dissipate in the plastic (as long as it is connected to a ground to return the transient voltage to the source).

Oh, and remember that air is Giga to terra ohms so to a kV source anything looks conductive to a source like that.

Correct answer by Voltage Spike on February 20, 2021

Air holes will be problematic being the lowest capacitance and thus highest conductance to transient voltage breakdown. A Mylar shield that still permits air flow would be best to any exposed conductors.

I recall tiny gaps around LED indicators on recessed 5mm LEDs with 10 mm high lens on early 80’s keyboards would often fail ESD tests with a Schaefer ESD gun @ 10kV travelling 10mm or so.

Answered by Tony Stewart Sunnyskyguy EE75 on February 20, 2021

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