DIY ESD TONG

" Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is the sudden flow of electricity between two electrically charged objects caused by contact, an electrical short, or dielectric breakdown. A buildup of static electricity can be caused by tribocharging or by electrostatic induction. The ESD occurs when differently-charged objects are brought close together or when the dielectric between them breaks down, often creating a visible spark." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatic_discha...

There are different ways in order for ESD to be kept at bay when handling ESD sensitive devices or components.

The list includes Wrist Straps, Grounding,Clothing,Shoes, Grounders, Casters,Floors, Floor Mats, Floor Finishes, Workstations and Worksurfaces.

This instructable shows you how to create a ESD (ElectroStatic Discharge proof ) tong for safe handling of your electronic components.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

For this instructable we'll need:

• stainless steel tweezer

- this will be the base material that we will modify to have ESD proof property.

• small cutout of ESD acrylic board (anti-static)

- this will be the 'key ingredient'.

• glue
• ESD mat (optional)

- another type of ESD protection material can be incorporated to the project as added protection.

Tools:

• handheld drill
• file/sandpaper
• marking pen
• ruler
• Hacksaw (for cutting the acrylic and tip of tweezer)
• bench vise
• bench grinder

Step 2: Design

I manually sketched the design so pardon me for the quality. At least I think I made it understandable for you to follow it.

The plan is to modify a stainless steel tweezer to have ESD safe grips.

The material I used is a piece of anti-static acrylic board. This tye of material is supposed to have 10^6 -10^9 resistivity.

Step 3: Create the ESD Parts

The design is self explanatory and easy to follow.

Acrylic parts include the grips (ESD) and the wedge to increase opening of the grips.

Below are the dimension for the grips and the wedge (opening-extender):

grips:

1.9cm x 0.7cm x 0.5cm (L x W x H)

wedge:

0.7cm x 0.4cm x 1.5cm (L x W x H)

Step 4: Assembly of Parts

Once every pieces are made to its desired size and finish, assemble parts using glue (I suggest to use super glue like Loctite for better adhesion).

You can also experiment with the size of the grip and ESD or anti-static material to use with.

You can add a piece of antistatic rubber mat on the grippers to provide more ESD protection.

Thanks!

Hope you like it.