An antistatic bubble wrap bag is a type of bag, typically made of polyethylene, used for storing and protecting sensitive electronic components that are can be damaged by electrostatic discharge (ESD).
Read on to learn more about antistatic bubble bags, their applications and benefits.
What are Antistatic Bubble Wrap Bags?
An antistatic bubble wrap bag provides dual benefits when packaging sensitive items: protection against the packaging itself creating a static discharge and the bubble wrap providing physical protection of the packaged product. With respect to electrical protection, antistatic bubble bags are treated with special coatings to prevent the creation and build up of a static charge on the bag’s surface. This doesn’t prevent an outside generated charge from penetrating the bag; that type of protection requires a different treatment that is explained later in this post.
What Are the Antistatic Performance Standards?
As with virtually all products that are technical in nature and widely used, there are industry-accepted standards created by well- regarded professional bodies and ESD protection is no exception. Two of the better-known sources of standards for ESD protection and performance are the EOS/ESD Association Inc. and the U.S. military’s published performance standards for two basic types of ESD protective material, combinations of antistatic, static shielding and electrostatic shielding.
The former is a professional association comprised of over 2,000 members worldwide whose charter is to expand ESD awareness through the creation of standards, educational programs, publications, certifications and symposia.
The U.S. military, arguably the largest single buyer of items containing microcircuits, semiconductors and other higher level electronics, developed their own sets of performance standards