Anti-static Tray: The Ultimate Guide

Antistatic trays are among those things that should top your must-have list for ESD control and management.

The trays provide critical protection to sensitive electronic components by preventing ESD damage during shipping, storage and/or handling.

So if you’re committed to preserving the integrity of your electronic components, consider anti-static trays.

Explore more about ESD safe tray, as it is also known, and find out what makes it a suitable choice for ESD management.

Learn about its benefits, material considerations, features, manufacturing process, and many more.

Best Anti-static Tray Material

Anti-static trays are made of antistatic materials that can be run in several options.

These include;

· PTEG anti-static Material

PTEG anti-static clear is a crystal clear thermoformable ESD material.

This PTEG based polymer provides a cost-effective solution for forming trays for protection of static sensitive components.

The material can be found in thicknesses ranging from 10 mils to 80 mills, and it offers a longer shelf life compared to other substrates.

Also, PTEG meets or exceeds the standard specifications for surface resistivity and static decay.

· PVC anti-static Material

This is a clear antistatic material with a shiny/glossy surface.

The PCV is suitable for forming small parts of shipping trays as it cheaper, durable, and has excellent chemical resistance.

It, however, contains a denesting agent that allows trays to be separated when nested.

This agent, which often includes silicone, makes the material unsuitable for forming trays for medical applications.

· Conductive Styrene Black

Conductive styrene is a rigid high-impact polystyrene film.

It is popularly used in forming reusable and semi-reusable trays as its ESD properties are set in the material.

Compared to PVC, styrene is less durable in comparable thickness.

It is also costlier.

· PP Material

Polypropylene (PP) material is mostly used in forming ESD safe trays for medical applications.

PP as the material is popularly known has excellent chemical resistance properties.

It also has a unique heat resistance property that makes the heat go through a sterilization process like an autoclave.

Compared to other substrates, PP is quite soft. This makes it challenging to maintain flatness during and after forming.

· PET Material

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a thermoplastic polymer.

The polymer is known for its excellent combination of mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties.

It is highly flexible, colorless, and is semi-crystalline in its natural state.

Depending on its form, PET can be rigid or semi-rigid.

Usage in forming antistatic trays is based upon its excellent dimensional stability and high resistance to impact and moisture.

· RPET Material

RPET is recycled Polyethylene terephthalate.

It is a strong, durable and recyclable material that’s often used in place of PVC to form antistatic trays for ESD control.

Using RPET is said to promote good environmental practices.

It reduces the amount of hazardous waste, contributing to a healthier environment.

· PS Material

Polystyrene (PS) is an economical and versatile material.

It features high resistance to impact, excellent dimensional stability, and is easy to form.

The plastic is shiny/glossy, which gives trays made out of PS a beautiful finish.

For applications that require flexibility, impact resistance, easy processing, and cost efficiency, PS makes the right choice.

These are the common antistatic tray materials.

Note that your choice of material when selecting antistatic trays is dependent on so many factors.

You have to consider:

• ESD requirements
• Cost
• Color
• Clarity
• Impact resistance
• Chemical resistance
• Working environment, among other things.

So be very careful with your selection.

Difference between Conductive Trays and Anti-static Trays

Generally, ESD trays are used to protect static sensitive components from ESD damage in a variety of applications.

And, because of the varying requirements to the different products, customers choose different types of trays.

These could be conductive trays or anti-static trays.

Here’s the difference between the two:

· Conductive Trays

Conductive trays are made of material filled with carbon.

The carbon gives the trays permanent conductive properties, with surface resistivity that’s lower than 10^6.

This offers a quicker transfer of static charge to a grounding source or adjacent conductive material.

· Antistatic Trays

Antistatic trays are versatile; they can solve multiple problems.

These type of ESD trays provide antistatic properties that are important to sensitive electronic components.

They also provide a surface resistivity of around 10^6-10^9

Is there a difference between conductive vs. anti-static trays?

Typically, we would distinguish the trays based on their ESD properties.

That is, based on charge movement and electrical resistance.

But in this case, both conductive and antistatic trays have low electrical resistance.

Meaning, electrons flow easily across the surface or through the bulk of these materials.

Charges go to ground, or to another conductive object that the material contacts or comes close to.

Conductive tray materials, as I’d earlier mentioned, have a surface resistance of no less than 10^6.

The same applies to antistatic tray materials.

And as we know, the lower the surface resistivity, the more conductive the material and may be considered “antistatic.

So, in other words, conductive trays can also be considered to be antistatic trays.

The difference?

The term conductive is often used in relation to resistance; that is why we say that conductive materials can also be antistatic.

The latter, however, doesn’t refer to resistance or resistivity.

By definition, antistatic refers to any material that inhibits triboelectric charging. It does not represent any resistance value or range.

Implying, conductive trays are trays that exhibit a surface and volume resistivity of no less than 10^6.

Antistatic trays, on the other hand, are trays that can completely resist triboelectric charge from passing through.

Uses of Anti-static Trays

Anti-static trays are used in a range of applications and various industries.

The trays are used in the shipping, storage and packaging, electronics, computer and appliance, medical and automotive industries.

Specific applications include packaging, transferring, and delivering of electronic parts and components.

Anti-static trays are also used to store small medical devices and parts such as pill dispensers and aerosol devices.

These trays ensure that devices are safe from any form of static charge.

They’re also widely used in the food industry to package, ship and store fruits, baked goods, cakes, cheeses, meat products and more.

Certain types of cosmetic products are also packaged, stored, and transported in anti static trays.

Benefits of Anti-static Trays

There are many advantages to using Antistatic trays.

Some of the advantages include;

· Maximum Protection

Antistatic trays have excellent antistatic properties that prevent the friction that cases antistatic current.

Due to this, you can be sure that the trays will protect static sensitive products such as PCB and PCBAs from ESD damage.

Also, the trays are sturdier compared to other ESD packaging; this guarantees more protection for your sensitive electronics.

· Provides Easy Access

Getting items into and out of an antistatic tray is very easy if you compare it with other forms of packaging such as bags.

With the trays, there is little damaging of items in the packaging process as finger access holes on the trays makes parts easy to get out.

The gentle grips on the trays also help to hold items securely in place.

· Labor Savings in Production

The easy access of ESD trays tends to help speed up the manufacturing process, which in turn saves labor cost.

In trays, parts are easier to count as the trays are made in specific numbers, i.e. 20-50 cavities.

Also, the trays can be used with pick and place robots which can help to speed production.

· Sustainable

A lot of the plastic materials used to manufacture antistatic trays can be used again and again.

Also, trays made for internal handling can be used for shipping and storage.

This reusability not only saves costs but also reduces plastic wastage significantly.

· Convenient to Pack

Whether it is for storage or shipping, ESD safe trays can fit into all sorts of boxes, including tote and stock boxes.

Not that other packaging, i.e., bags can’t, they can.

However, trays help to keep contents neatly in place, making them easy and secure to store and transport.

· Cleaner

With antistatic trays, you don’t need to worry about corrugated dust contaminating your parts or workspace.

The trays keep contents clean and protected from external elements.

It is for this reason that ESD safe trays are widely used in cleanrooms and medical applications.

Features to Look for in Anti-static Trays

When considering antistatic trays for your production, storage, or shipping needs, there are several things to consider.

i. Reliability and Durability

ESD safe trays, as we’ve mentioned severally, help to protect products from ESD damage.

Apart from this, the trays also help to reduce the physical damage of electronic products significantly.

This helps to reduce costs as well as improve product quality and profitability.

Now to ensure a critical protection of products from both ESD and physical damage, trays have to be reliable and durable.

Meaning, you should get you sturdy trays that are impact-resistant and feature a proper design.

This is the only way to ensure reliability and durability for complete protection of products.

ii. Stackable Anti-static Tray

Trays need to have stacking features for easier parts containment.

Stacking helps to make loading and handling easier during and after production.

It also eases the palletizing process helping to reduce production space usage.

Antistatic stacking trays can also be used to form mobile work stations.

iii. Nestable Anti-static Trays

Other than stacking, nesting is also essential when considering ESD safe trays.

Nesting is when trays can fit into each other when empty.

Trays with inbuilt nesting are easy to store and maintain.

They also require very minimal space requirements during packaging.

iv. Kitting

Kitting is necessary when considering trays for assembly operations.

You can have your trays include a specific number of cavities or with cavities designed and fitted to part.

The color of the tray can also be made in contrast to the parts to allow for easier identification of parts during assembly.

v. Number of Cavities

Like everything else above, the number of cavities on your ESD safe trays is an important consideration.

Depending on your production and packaging needs, trays can be made to have 20-50 even 100 cavities.

You can also request the cavities to be numbered for inspection or any other applications of the sort.

vi. Lid

You can have lids for your custom or stock ESD safe trays.

The lids are often custom made to fit the tray and can be made clear for visibility.

Other designs may feature lids with forms that fit into tray cavities. These help to prevent parts movement from one cavity to another during handling/transportation.

These are the main elements of consideration when looking for antistatic trays.

Other things that you may consider are engraving, printing, and automation.

Considerations when Importing ESD Trays

The above is mainly the physical aspects of concern when looking for antistatic trays.

But as an importer, there are additional considerations to ensure that you import the right trays for your needs.

Some of the things you need to keep in mind when importing ESD trays are;

i. MOQ

While not as often considered as lead time, price MOQ is an essential element of consideration in importing anti-static plastic trays.

In most cases, the minimum order quantity (MOQ) is about 500 pieces. However, different manufacturer have varying MOQ.

ii. Shape and Design

It is critical to also consider the shape and design of your ESD safe trays.

If you’re ordering from an existing inventory, make sure that the design of the tray is suitable for your application.

Otherwise, request for a custom made ESD tray with your desired custom features.

iii. Cavity Options

Depending on your product and application, you need to choose a cavity option that provides a proper and stable fit to items.

For ESD safe trays, there two cavity options;

• Custom tray cavities that are matched to the item being packed; either partly or entirely. This is suitable for products that don’t have a definite shape.
• Custom geometric cavities that are made to meet individual packing needs of items with a definite shape. Such cavities are designed to fit any item that’s within the cavity’s configuration.

iv. Material Thickness

The right ESD safe tray for your needs is dependent on the material thickness.

And in this case, the right thickness will depend on the packed product.

For plastic trays, you can consider any of the following ranges depending on your application;

– .015″ to .030″ for disposable shipping trays for small parts

– .030” to .060” several cycles but not long term.

– .060″ to .375” for reusable trays.

If considering trays made out of molded pulp, choose thickness range as follows;

– .⅛” standard gauge for shipping and lighter items

– .250” heavy gauge for skids, trays, and heavier parts.

v. Custom anti-static Trays

Off-the-shelf antistatic trays may not meet your requirements of the ideal tray.

In this case, you may consider a custom design to include features like engraving, automation, tweezers, finger access, etc.

vi. Color

ESD safe trays are made in common colors such as black, white, and grey.

You can, however, custom colors to suit your specific application.

For instance, if you’re importing trays for assembly operations, you may need to choose a color that contrasts the to-be-packed items.

This way, it is easier to identify parts and components without much difficulty.

Other applications may need clear trays, so make your choice accordingly.

vii. Cost

Ultimately, budgetary requirements cannot be ignored when importing antistatic trays.

You need to consider the cost of buying as well as shipping the trays from the manufacturer to your destination.

This is where MOQ considerations become important.

Keep in mind though that antistatic trays are costlier than other types of thermoformed trays.

How to Manufacture Anti-static Trays

Step 1: Tray Design

Based on the intended application, trays are designed to suit the to-be-packed product.

Size, shape, color, material, number of cavities, stacking, and nesting features, among other things, are defined at this stage.

The complete design is forwarded to the manufacturer who will either approve or recommend a few tweaks.

Note that the design idea has to be compatible with the manufacturing machines.

If your design isn’t compatible with the machines and processes to be used, the manufacturer may tweak a few elements to ensure compatibility.

Step 2: Material Selection

As earlier mentioned, antistatic trays can be made in a range of material options.

You can use plastics such as PP, PET, PTEG, PVC, HIPS, and RPET, etc.

Molds such as copper and aluminum molds are used in the manufacturing process.

These materials are made in antistatic form and can also be clear or black depending on your need and application.

At this stage, you also need to decide on suitable material thickness.

Choosing the right material is very critical as very many elements depend on it, such as the cavity depth, reusability, tray stability, etc.

Step 3: Formulating Antistatic Sheet

After a successful step 2, the chosen material is formulated to have a surface that is more resistant to static electricity.

For this, anti-static additives are added to the material to reduce its surface impact.

The additives make the material anti-static by making it conductive.

Or, by interacting with moisture in the atmosphere to form a microscopic layer of water on the surface of the material.

This layer, note, ultimately provides the conductive path for static dissipation.

Please note; different manufacturers use different antistatic additives.

Some use internal additives which are incorporated and blended into the material at the extrusion level.

Others opt for the external additives that are dissolved in a solvent before being sprayed or coated on to the material.

Either way, formulation of the material to include static dissipative qualities is done at this stage.

Step 4: Making antistatic tray mold

Before you can finally produce the antistatic tray, you need to make a mold first.

The mold takes the shape and design of your antistatic tray.

It is what you’ll use to give shape to your ESD trays.

Now to make the mold, its material is basically engraved with aluminum.

Once ready, the size of the mold cannot be increased.

You can only change minor details such as the material thickness. In this case, only a ±0.1mm change in thickness is allowed.

Step 5: Thermoforming Anti-static Tray

With the help of a thermoforming machine, the anti-static sheet is thermoformed into ESD safe trays.

This process is done by feeding the material into a thermoforming machine that exposes it to heat of varying degrees.

The molten tray material will flow into the mold you created in step 4 above to form an antistatic.

The mold will give shape to the molten material when it cools and hardens.

Step 6: Cooling and Trimming

The thermoforming process tends to produce very hot liquid material which forms the antistatic trays.

This means that after the process, the molds have to be cooled and allowed to harden.

After this, you can remove the now cool and hardened trays from the molds.

Trimming at this point is essential to give the completed trays a perfect edge and dimensions.

Other secondary finishing such as branding, can be done in this stage too.

Step 7: Ready for Use!

At this point, trays are now fully formed and ready for use, packing, or shipping.

Anti-static Tray Quality Control Process

Now, before trays are put to use or even shipped to customers, a strict quality control process is done.

The finished products must exhibit excellent quality and reliability.

They generally must conform to the required standards of manufacturing.

And, the best way to ensure this is to find a manufacturer that guarantees production strictly according to the required standards.

Manufacturing should follow standard QC practices such as;

• vendor appraisal
• raw material inspection
• inline inspection
• Finished product inspection etc.

Upon testing, the finished trays should be able to meet or even exceed the ANSI/ESD S20.20 standard for ESD protection.

Your role in all this is to choose a manufacturer that has the right certifications, i.e. ISO, RoHS, and SGS.

Conclusion

As you can see, a lot goes into finding the right antistatic trays for your application.

Design, material, price, lead time, and, the manufacturer are all areas that you should consider when choosing the right ESD tray for your products.

If you need to import quality, reliable and durable ESD safe trays, Elsepack is ready to offer you the ultimate solution.

Contact us now, and we will respond with the right product for your needs.