Are MicroCare Wipes ESD-Safe?
MicroCare offers lint-free flat wipes, stencil roll wipes and presaturated wipes which are as pure, strong and clean as you can get. They deliver great cleaning at very competitive prices. This means you get faster, safer, cheaper cleaning and better quality all at the same time.
However, only three of the MicroCare wipes have anti-static properties when it is dry. The ESD-Safe Wipe (#MCC- W99CY) has carbon fibers knitted into the fabric. The others are the Biodegradable Wipes (two sizes) which are made from a naturally-occurring fiber which is static-dissipative.
On the other hand, all the other MicroCare wipes become static-dissipative when they are used with a conductive solvent. Check out the presat wipes, which take this to the highest level. The paper and solvent are grounded through the operator's wrist- or heel-straps. So, if total ESD control is important, use the flat wipes with a conductive solvent or the presaturated wipes.
When using solvents for cleaning SMT stencils and other production equipment, most experts recommend the use of gloves
False Claims
One other note: none of our competitor’s normal wipes have anti-static properties when they are used dry. Despite some unsubstantiated claims of ESD properties, paper is paper, and it simply is neither conductive nor dissipative. The general rule is that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. If someone claims their paper is 'ESD-safe' in some manner, ask to see the proof.