Electrostatic discharge occurs frequently and is expensive to manage in the electronics manufacturing industry. Electronics—and semiconductors in particular—contain stored charges. Electrostatic discharge happens when these accumulated charges come into touch with a person or object, such as a tool. Even though this discharge cannot be seen by people, it nonetheless does harm.

Electrostatic discharge can be caused by handling printed circuit boards with bare hands, using synthetic materials next to electronic equipment, and sudden air movements in the vicinity of the equipment. Electrostatic discharge prevention techniques can stop this hazardous discharge from harming circuits when producing and assembling devices.

Grounding, antistatic bags, and antistatic sprays are three regularly used electrostatic discharge prevention strategies

ESD Packaging Bags

Electrostatic-sensitive electrical and electronic components are covered by antistatic bags. These packaging materials avoid interactions with static electricity. Antistatic bags often come in semi-reflective or clear varieties and are manufactured of polyethylene terephthalate. Hard drives, motherboards, sound cards, and other electronics are frequently packed in these bags, which come in a range of sizes and hues.

Grounding 

The easiest technique to prevent ESD for anyone handling printed circuit boards is to ground them. The ESD current flow has the lowest impedance path when a ground is available. The user working on the circuits is typically grounded using an ESD wrist band. To lessen the risk of ESD, electrostatic-sensitive equipment is also placed on grounding mats or antistatic mats. Another defense is to ground the workbench. 

Static-reducing sprays

Antistatic sprays can be used to stop charges from adhering to a surface. By preventing charges from building up when this liquid is sprayed, electrostatic electricity is eliminated.  Equipment moving at fast speeds or surfaces with strong static charges, which are challenging to control or block, require the application of antistatic sprays.

Static electricity's negative impacts can be eliminated using preventative techniques for electrostatic discharge. To lessen electrostatic discharge issues, another alternative is to include ESD protection circuitry as an auxiliary circuit