StaticSmart ESD Carpet in Government Mission Critical Areas
Julie supplies StaticSmart™ ESD flooring products to United States Military facilities around the globe, including this Flight Control Tower at an undisclosed location in the Middle East.
A U.S. Military Air Traffic Control facility in the Middle East was having problems with their CONTROL ACCESS UNITS (CAUs). Each of the three CAUs in the tower controls a specific position vital to airfield management and safety. Using the CAUs, the controllers maintain constant contact with all individuals and vehicles on the airfield, on the ground and in the air. Loss of contact could lead to problems ranging from holdups in traffic to airfield collision or aircraft crash. These units (CAUs) are costly and in short supply, with requisitions for parts taking upwards of 45 to 60 days. The facility was replacing two units a month.
An investigation revealed that static electricity was causing unit failure in the control tower. When the Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) walked across the tower floor, a static charge built up on their bodies (walking body voltage). When the controllers touched the control heads, that static charge was transferred to the units, damaging the electronic components inside the CAUs and causing unit failure. To solve the problem, ground plates were installed and the controllers were required to wear wrist straps. However, the wrist straps inhibited mobility, compromising the controllers’ performance. A permanent, more user-friendly solution was needed.
Julie’s StaticSmart™ static control carpet proved to be the solution. Conductive fibers, woven into each yarn bundle of the StaticSmart carpet, create an infinite number of contact points, providing a fast path to ground to quickly and safely remove static charges. This exclusive Fibrelink™ construction provides uncompromising performance in any environment, regardless of temperature or humidity. Also, no wrist or heel straps are required, allowing the controllers unfettered mobility in the tower. Since installing StaticSmart ESD carpet in the control tower, not a single CAU has needed replacement.
