ESD Lab Workbenches

We must understand what an ESD electronics laboratory bench (sometimes referred to as an ESD table) is and what they are used for. It's an ESD electronics bench which has a dedicated work surface suitable for use with electrically charged items.

Because the electronics bench itself can ground out-static charges, any stray static charge won’t be transferred to your workers or surrounding equipment; instead, it will be earthed out immediately. This is highly important because electrostatic discharge can be a real problem if you don’t protect against it for your workers and equipment.

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For maximum safety for your company’s workers and equipment, though, having an ESD table is a necessity. Why would you compromise on safety by providing a standard workbench, after all? ESD electronics benches are designed to ground out any stray static charges which could prove the difference between everyone staying safe and happy – and, well, not.

How ESD Tables Work

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ESD lab tables are commonplace within an ESD-protected area. This is due to the additional protection that they can provide for workers and surrounding equipment. However, some ESD-protected areas make do without having an ESD table – though not an ideal solution, this might still afford you some degree of protection assuming the rest of the ESD-protected area is kitted out with static dissipative products. The best materials for a non-ESD table are wood and metal as these do not generate unlike materials such as plastic.​​

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So, we’ve clarified that your ESD-protected area really ought to have an ESD table for maximum safety.

But how do specially made ESD tables work, anyway? What is it that makes an electronics workbench more effective at protecting a non-insulating material bench such as wood?

This is a pretty normal question for a person to have; after all, you might think that a material such as wood is the ideal solution for working with electronic components. However, this thinking isn’t quite right; while the wood will offer some degree of protection, it is far from the perfect solution.

The difference between an electronics workbench and a generic workbench is the inclusion of static dissipative materials which should then be grounded to the earth. Static dissipative materials are designed specifically to help you deal with static charges, unlike a wooden workbench which is merely made to offer somewhere upon which to rest.