If you have ever touched something metal like a handrail or doorknob and received a small electric shock, you have experienced ESD (electrostatic discharge) first-hand.
In everyday life, this is harmless, but in engineering and industry, it can fry electrical components and cause irreparable damage.
The goal of ESD-safe materials is to eliminate that transfer of potentially catastrophic accumulated electric charge from one object to another. In electronics, ESD-safe plastics are used to create safer products and protect electrical components.
What makes a plastic ESD-safe? You may have noticed that some plastics are not ESD protected, while other variants of the same plastic are. The difference is ESD-safe varieties have conductive, anti-static or static dissipative properties, depending on the material and the intended final application of the material.
There are ESD-safe varieties of most plastics on the market, including engineering materials like TPU and Nylon. One of the leading innovators in this sector is Essentium, who have developed a range of ESD-safe filaments under their Z Collection.
Essentium Z Collection
The Essentium Z Collection includes the following ESD-safe filaments:
- Essentium Z – PCTG
- Essentium Z – TPU 95A
- Essentium Z – TPU 80A
- Essentium Z – TPU 74D
- Essentium Z – HTN
All these materials are non-marring; you can rub them onto a piece of paper and there’s no rub off. The materials stay intact, as this video demonstrates:
Also, all these Essentium materials are of the electrostatically dissipative variety. Electrostatically dissipative means these plastics reduce static electricity to protect ESD-sensitive devices. They allow surface charges to dissipate in milliseconds. Typically, these types of plastic have a surface resistance of >1 x 105 ohms/square <1 x 1012 ohms/square, and Essentium’s materials fall in line with this.
All these materials are also tested to ANSI/ESD STM11.11
Essentium Z – PCTG
Features:
- An all-purpose ESD-safe plastic
- Stronger than ABS and PETG
- Suitable for lightly loaded fixtures
- Easy to print, machine, and finish
Essentium Z – PCTG is an easy to print thermoplastic with significantly higher impact strength than PETG. It can be machined and finished by hand or mechanical means and it is non-marring. Potential applications include hand tools, electronic cases, assembly fixtures, robotics components and parts for explosive environments.
You can read the material’s datasheet here.
Essentium Z – TPU 95A
Features:
- ESD safe
- Flexible
- Best-in-class tensile strength
- Exceptional elongation at break
Essentium Z – TPU 95A is a medium durometer ESD-safe TPU that is perfect for manufacturing semi-rigid parts and vibration dampeners. It is flexible with best-in-class tensile strength and excellent tear resistance. You can use it to make ESD-safe jigs, fixtures, grommets, bushings, grips, handles and hoses and ducting.
You can read the material’s datasheet here.
Essentium Z – TPU 80A
Features:
- ESD safe
- Soft-touch
- Ultra-flexible
- Best-in-class elongation at break
Essentium Z – TPU 80A is the lowest durometer filament in Essentium’s ESD-safe Z Collection, which means it is the softest and most flexible material. It is soft-touch and ultra-flexible, with outstanding vibration dampening. You can use it to make grippers, vibration absorbers, seals, gaskets, boots, plugs, tool grips and soft springs.
You can read the material’s datasheet here.
Essentium Z – TPU 74D
Features:
- ESD safe
- Semi-rigid
- ABS replacement
- Best-in-class tear resistance
Essentium Z – TPU 74D is the highest durometer filament in Essentium’s ESD-safe Z Collection, so it’s the hardest ESD-safe TPU available but the least flexible. It’s extremely impact resistant and smooth to the touch, with high tensile strength and tear resistance. Use it as an ABS replacement across your production workflow.
You can read the material’s datasheet here.
Essentium Z – HTN
Features:
- ESD-safe
- Solvent resistance
- Good temperature resistance
- Stronger than PCTG and ABS
Essentium Z – HTN (high-temperature nylon) is an engineering grade nylon with outstanding electrostatic dissipative properties. You can use it to replace strong functional plastics across your workflow — it is stronger than both PCTG and ABS. Use it to make assemblies, housings, part trays, ESD-safe fixtures and tough, durable functional parts.
You can read the material’s datasheet here.
Want to find out more about the Essentium Z Collection?
We’re here to help. We’re an authorised Essentium partner and sell all their filaments. Contact us if you have any questions.