Explained: ESD safety

[SandervG 1,521]

First things first; what is ESD?  

ESD (electrostatic discharge) is defined as the transfer of electric charge, which takes place when two objects which have been charged to different electric potentials are brought in contact with one another. Or when two objects which have different electric potentials due to static induction are brought in contact with one another. 

 

A material is considered ESD safe when it reduces this transfer of static electricity that can cause problems or dangerous situations, like when electrostatic sensitive parts, flammable liquids or gases are handled. Often an electrostatic discharge is accompanied by a visible spark. 

 

What does ESD safe material do? 

The purpose of ESD safe material is to avoid any electrostatic discharge that could affect components surrounding it.  

 

FYI:

• Selecting a material for ESD safety In order to make it ESD safe additional properties are added to base materials, such as ABS, PETg or PC. Therefore, it is important to select a base material that fits your application and choose a variant that is ESD safe. 
   
• The difference between antistatic, insulating and ESD. These concepts are sometimes easily mixed up. What is which? An antistatic material prevents sparks and explosions, an insulating material protects you against electric shocks, while ESD is product protection. 
   
• What is important when printing with ESD safe materials? Selecting the right ESD safe materials for your application is key. Another important topic is the print profile and print process. The combination of the material and the print profile make something ESD safe (So not only the material itself!).  
  Research has shown that print settings have a major influence on the "degree" of ESD safety you get from the material. The material companies that provide ESD safe materials on our marketplace have tested their materials extensively to ensure that customer gets the correct ESD safe properties after printing. 
   

Which materials are available via our material alliance that are ESD safe?

• Kimya ABS-ESD Natural is ideal for applications that require protection against electrostatic discharge. It is impact-resistant, easy to print, and has a high stiffness. 

 

This casing for an electronic card was created with spaces for plugins. It was printed in Kimya's ABS-ESD Natural, and protects the card inside from other electronic components that may be nearby

 

• LEHVOSS Group LUVOCOM 3F PAHT® CF 9891 BK is a high-temperature, carbon fiber-reinforced, polyamide-based material. It provides high strength, stiffness, and minimized water uptake. It has a tensile strength of up to 130 MPa and is temperature-resistant up to 160 °C. 
   
• LEHVOSS Group LUVOCOM® 3F PET CF 9780 BK is the easiest carbon fiber-filled PET material to print on the market, with excellent mechanical properties, including high Z-layer strength. It has a tensile strength of up to 80 MPa, is temperature resistant up to 125 °C, and features low water uptake. 
   
• Clariant’s ESD-safe PET-G is based on unique fillers and optimized for FFF printing to address varied ESD-safe needs. It is strong, tough, and chemical-resistant with high impact strength. It also features reduced thermo-oxidative degradation. 

 

Do you want to see which other materials we have in our material alliance? Use our filter to find out which other properties you can choose from.

 

[joris-hiber 3]

What about BASF Ultrafuse PCTG Z ESD?

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi @joris-hiber, what about it? It seems to be an ESD safe material too, but the scope of the post above was about which filaments we have in our marketplace that are ESD safe. The benefit of materials that are integrated in our marketplace is that they have a printing profile tailored to the Ultimaker S3, S5 and/or Pro Bundle. Not every filament is available for each printer, but often the manufacturers are working on this. 

 

Is BASF Ultrafuse PCTG Z ESD a material you used before and you would like to see added to the marketplace? 

[joris-hiber 3]

BASF Ultrafuse PCTG Z ESD appeared to be  the easiest to source in the Netherlands. It is also available in the Cura marketplace, but there is no profile for the S3 (I already emailed the vendor):

https://marketplace.ultimaker.com/app/cura/materials/Essentium/Ultrafuse_Z_PCTG