Compared to acrylic, static-dissipative PVC offers three benefits that reduce operating expenses and drive down overall ownership cost of a clean room, glove box, hood, desiccator, or other enclosure.
Contamination Control
Acrylic is a prolific static generator. The back-and-forth motion of wiping an acrylic surface creates positive and negative surface charges that attract and hold small particles.
The resulting static cling makes it difficult to remove contaminants from the charged surfaces without the use of ionizing equipment or frequent cleaning with special anti-static solutions. Variations in the surface charges can lead to unpredictable release of aggregated particles, threatening contamination-sensitive material.
For this reason, expect acrylic to drive up the cost of keeping an acrylic enclosure contamination-free.
Don't Turn Your Clean Enclosure into a Particle Magnet! Non-dissipative plastics quickly accumulate surface charges that attract contaminants. If the panel on the left clings to this many test spheres, just imagine how many micro-particles it attracts!
Germ Control
An aseptic environment requires frequent sterilization with disinfectants such as alcohol. Unfortunately, most common biocides, including industry-standard IPA solutions, degrade acrylic, causing cracks and discoloration.
Static-dissipative PVC, on the other hand, resists alcohol and most other sterilizing solutions, supporting standard disinfecting procedures and extending the life of your enclosure.
ESD Control
Acrylic’s most serious hidden cost becomes apparent when static-sensitive materials are destroyed or degraded by unpredictable electro-static discharge (ESD).
Whether it results from hand-wiping the acrylic surface or from the micro-frictional effects of a strong airflow, surface static charge poses serious threat to semiconductor, electronics, and other sensitive materials. In fact, acrylic supports the accumulation and discharge of up to 20,000 volts. This danger is especially acute in a low-humidity environment like a nitrogen-purged glove box or desiccator.
Why Consider Acrylic?
Despite these disadvantages, acrylic is widely used in clean rooms and other critical environment applications. Its low initial cost, light weight, transparency, and strength make it an attractive choice in many situations, and Terra offers most of its enclosures in acrylic in order to provide a competitive option.
In critical applications, however, acrylic should be avoided. Lower total ownership costs – due to easier cleaning, sterilization, and ESD control – quickly justify the initial expense of a static-dissipative PVC enclosure.
ANSI/ESD S20.20 Compliant; safe for ESD sensitive devices
Meets ASTM requirements for dissipative surface resistance
Resists attraction of airborne particles known to harbor microbes
Chemically resistant for most commercial cleaners and solvents
Static-dissipative PVC sheets are ideal for static-sensitive environments and have better chemical resistance than standard PVC
SDPVC is often required in static sensitive environments where instruments or components are susceptible to electrostatic discharge, or to prevent static sparks when handling combustible fumes, volatile chemicals, and ordinance
Static inhibitors are ingrained into the SDPVC material, preventing the build-up of electro-static discharge, and the attraction of particles
ASTM testing shows that Terra's SDPVC materials maintain a surface-resistance of 1.8 x 10^7 ohms/sq.
Static dissipative materials are less likely to retain static charges that attract airborne particles or lint from garments and cleaning rags
Additional chemical resistance ensures longevity when frequently wiped down with various alcohols and disinfectants
Contact a Terra specialist via email, phone, or webchat for assistance with pricing, material selection, and bulk orders
Excellent chemical resistance to most acids, alkalies and many solvents.
Easily cut and shaped with common hand tools.
Joining methods by thermal fusion or hot gas welding (cannot be glued or solvent cemented).
Terra's plastic material is in-stock and ready to ship within 3-5 business days. Contact a Terra specialist via email, phone, or webchat for a quote today!In Stock Plastic SheetsTerra's plastic material is in-stock and ready to ship within 3-5 business days. Contact a Terra specialist via email, phone, or webchat for a quote today!
Available in 3mm, 4mm, 6mm, 10mm. Transparent, colorless, standard sheet size of 4' x 8' (1219 mm x 2438 mm)—other sizes are available on a custom basis. Both surfaces of the sheet are covered with masking paper for protection during shipping, and one or more sheets are packed per carton and then in a wooden crate.
Revolutionary Static-Dissipative PVC Plating renders acrylic-made products obsolete for any static- or particle-sensitive application
Chemically embedded dissipative layers maintain a surface resistivity of about 107 ohms/square, even under real-world abuse
Ideal for cleanroom use—effective static dissipation helps control particulate contamination by eliminating static attraction
Transparent material allows complete visibility
Also resists a wide range of corrosive chemicals and will not outgas
This revolutionary material offers a new alternative to standard methods of static control in the cleanroom, lab, and other industrial environments. Like acrylic, it can be easily worked and offers great visibility, yet it also resists a wide range of chemicals (see chart). It is completely noncontaminating, and so can be safely used in the cleanest work environments.
The solvent of the static-dissipative dielectric coating melts the plating and mixes with the coating material so that the mixture adheres to the plate top. Both materials are mingled in the coating process. The coated material has great adhesion power and never comes off. The electrical characteristics are not affected by rubbing, and the transparency remains unchanged for long periods with little or no fogging.
Characteristics
Static-dissipative PVC features surface resistance between 106 and 108 ohms/square—much less than that of other treated plastics. Tests show that when 10KV is applied to the surface, electrostatic potential remains less than 15V, and static decay time is less than 1 second. And because this plating offers such effective static dissipation, it will not attract dust or other contaminating particles that could damage sensitive microelectronic components.
In a test conducted in accordance with ASTM D 257, both colorless and colored transparent plating sheets were subjected to a relative humidity of 20-80% at 10°C to 30°C and the samples exhibited almost no change in physical characteristics. The surface resistivity remained greater than 107 ohms/square.
This plating is also durable. It features superb resistance to UV radiation; tests have indicated almost no loss of static protection after 500 hours of continuous exposure to a fadeometer. In temperature tests, it maintained its dissipative properties after 50 cycles of temperature fluctuations from -20°C to 60°C. It is also completely noncombustible.
It also offers all of the chemical-resistance of standard PVC plating. It remains unaffected by a wide range of chemical solutions (see chart). In the case of mixed chemicals, resistance can vary widely depending on the exact mix. Be sure to perform a test prior to using any new chemical solutions or mixtures.
Applications
This plating allows easy cutting, bending, welding, and adhesive joining, and is therefore ideal in many situations for which no suitable material currently exists. Just consider these possible applications:
In integrated circuit containers: Static-Dissipative PVC Plating can be used in:
Desiccator
Glove Boxes
Silicon wafer boats
IC storage containers
Transparent trays
IC chips and IC card boxes (PE, PET)
Universal Hoods
Transparent magazine rails
In the cleanroom: Static-Dissipative PVC Plating can be used in:
Cleanroom partitions
Cleanroom benches
Equipment covers
Chamber inspection windows
Door and wall linings
Curtains
Fluorescent lamp louvers
Pass-through and tunnel coating
The Razor Scrape Test
Electrical Properties
Characteristic
Unit
Transparent Static-Dissipative PVC
Rigid PVC Plate
Testing Method
Surface Resistivity
omega/
106 ~ 10
1016
ASTM D-257/JIS K 6911
Volume Resistivity
omega•cm
1017 ~ 18
1018
ASTM D-257/JIS K 7194
Saturated Charge Voltage
V
Less than 10
3,000
*
Half Life
—
Momentary
Long
*
* Measured with a static-honest meter (20°C, 60% RH)
Applied voltage: 10,000V
Applied voltage • material distance: 20mm
Detected voltage • material distance: 15mm
Chemical Resistance
Chemicals
Time Immersed
Appearance after 3 Days
Appearance after 30 Days
Anti-Static properties after 3 Days
Anti-Static properties after 30 Days
Acids and Alkalines
Hydrochloric acid
36%
U
U (Redish)
U
U
20%
U
U
U
U
Sulfuric acid
97%
CS (Blackish)
x (Black)
U
U
60%
U
U
U
U
Nitric acid
60%
U
U (Greenish)
U
CS
40%
U
U
U
U
Phosphoric acid
85%
U
U
U
U
Acetic acid
95%
U
U
U
U
Fluoric acid
46%
CS (Light Green)
CS (Greenish)
U
x
10%
U
U
U
U
Hydrogen peroxide
10%
U
CS (Powdering)
U
U
Sodium hydroxide
50%
U
U
U
U
Ammonia aquenous solution
25%
U
U
U
U
Organic Solvents
Methanol
100%
U
U
U
U
Ethanol
100%
U
U
U
U
Isopropanol
100%
U
U
U
U
Butanol
100%
U
U
U
U
Ethylene glycol
100%
U
U
U
U
Gasoline
100%
U
U
U
U
Kerosene
100%
U
U
U
U
Benzene
100%
U
U
U
U
Others
Salt water
30%
U
U
U
U
Ammonium
50%
U
U
U
U
Potassium
10%
U
U
U
U
Mild detergent
10%
U
U
U
U
Water
100%
U
U
U
U
U = Unaffected
CS = Changed Slightly
x = not recommended
Tests conducted on 3 mil., 6 mil and 10 mil material. Immersion temp. 25°C.
Property
Unit
Transparent Static-Dissipative PVC
Testing Method
Physical Properties
Specific gravity
—
1.4
JIS K 7112
Rockwell
M scale
76
JIS K 7202
R scale
122
Surface hardness
Pencil hardness
H
JIS K 5400
Mechanical Properties
Tensile yield strength
MPa
74
JIS K 7162-1B/50
Flexural strength
MPa
98
JIS K 7171
Flexural modulus
MPa
3400
JIS K 7171
Charpy impact strength
KJ/m2
2.3
JIS K 711-1ePA
Thermal Properties
Deflection temperature
°C/1.8MPa
65
JIS K 7191
Coefficient of thermal expansion
10-5/°C
7
JIS K 7197
Thermal conductivity
W/m • K
0.18
Laser Flash Method
Specific heat
J/g • K
1.11
—
Flammability
—
Self extinguishing
JIS K 6911
Water absorption
%
0.02
JIS K 7209
Abrasion Resistance
The effect of surface abrasion is very small and produces almost no change in the material’s antistatic characteristics.
Testing conditions: Scrubbing with nylon fabric at a load of 500 grams
Testing method: ASTM D 257 (20°C 60% RH)
Temperature and Humidity Effects
Even when temperature or humidity vary, this material’s antistatic properties exhibit almost no change, and this excellent feature is stable over the long term.
Testing method: ASTM D 257
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In Stock Inventory
Terra Universal's raw material inventory is in-stock and ready to ship within 3-5 business days.
Long-Standing Industry Expertise
For 45 years, Terra has served the life science, academic research, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, semiconductor and aerospace markets. We intimately understand the cGMP, GLP, ISO, ASTM , IEST and OSHA requirements.
Top-Tier Clients
Terra’s key customers include some of the largest research labs, production facilities and universities in the world
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