Author: Barbara Gerard

Wait!  Aren’t all plastics conductive?  Aren’t plastics the ultimate insulators?  You’re right-plastics are used extensively in many industries, including electronics, as insulators.  But plastics are not just naturally dissipative; most of them are made that way using additives.  Let’s examine how anti-static, conductive, and dissipative plastics are produced and classified.
In order to understand how this works, let’s take a second to examine the phenomenon of electrostatic charge and conductivity.  An electrostatic charge is one that occurs when two objects touch each another. … Read more

Like certain pop stars, plastics are generally flammable.
Therefore it is often necessary to add flame retardant plastic additives to meet governmental and industry regulatory standards. Flame retardant plastic additives are compounds added to plastics and other materials to inhibit, suppress or delay combustion. These compounds are useful in impending burning in the ignition phase of fire.  They do not prevent charring or melting nor do they increase the heat resistance of a material. … Read more