Desco TB-5531 Installation Manual

TB-5531 December 2008 Page 1 of 6

plywood, fiber board, partical board tables and bench
tops with conventional contact adhesives. It is
resistant to most solvents and greatly exceeds the
NEMA specification for wear resistance. The NVMT
brand and ESD protective symbols are featured on
laminate sheets for protection and auditing purposes.

Installation

NVMT is designed to be used as a portable
worksurface or laminated to wooden tables or bench
tops with conventional contact adhesive.

1. Prepare the face of the substrate. It should be
clean, dry and free of all contaminants which would
interfere with adhesion. All the materials, NVMT,
substrate and cement, must be allowed to condition
at 70°F to 75°F and 45-50 percent relative humidity
for 48 hours prior to assembly.

2. Stir the adhesive thoroughly and apply an even coat
of adhesive by either spray, roller or brush to both
the substrate face and the NVMT back. Do not
allow coated surfaces to touch. Allow the cement to
dry. When bonding to plywood, apply a second coat
if the first coat completely penetrates the wood. Use
uncoated wood strips to assist in connecting coated
surfaces.

3. Place thin, uncoated, wooden strips 12 inches apart
across the substrate face. This will keep coated
surfaces apart; bonding will occur once contact is
made.

4. Position the over-cut NVMT sheet on top of the
wooden strips.

Figure 3. NVMT sheet on wooden strips

Figure 1. NVMT Protective Laminate
Blue, Gray, Beige, White, Almond

Description

NVMT is a high pressure static dissipative laminate
designed for workbench tops used in the manufacture
and assembly of ESD susceptible electronic
components. NVMT meets ANSI/ESD S20.20
requiring RTG <109Ohms per ESD S4.1 and
antistatic low tribocharging materials <200 volts per
ESD STM 4.2. Its multi-layer construction features a
conductive layer which ensures dissipative properties
independent of ambient humidity. NVMT shows
superior abrasion resistance and provides rapid, non­sparking charge dissipation. It can be laminated to

Figure 2. NVMT layered construction

ESD Systems.com • 432 Northboro Road Central • Marlboro, MA 01752 • [phone] • Fax [phone] • Website: ESDSystems.com

NVMT St atic Protective Laminate
Inst allation and Maintenance

0.038 IN.

THICK

Made in America

© 2008 DESCO INDUSTRIES, INC.

Employee Owned

TECHNICAL BULLETIN TB-5531

TB-5531 Page 2 of 6

Figure 4. Wooden block and rubber mallet and “J”
roller technique.

5. Slowly remove strips of wood taking care to keep
the NVMT in position. The NVMT should fall into
position.

6. Push the laminate down with even hand pressure.

7. If the NVMT falls out of position, squirt solvent (SPI
Westek recommends the use of ST102 solvent
from Pionite) between the two surfaces and gently
lift the NVMT sheet up. Wait a minimum of 4 hours
before reapplying another coat of adhesive, solvent
must evaporate totally. Apply another coat of
adhesive to both surfaces and reposition.

8. When NVMT is in the correct position, seal the
bond with a rubber “J” roller or a carpeted block
and rubber mallet. Use either roller or block and
mallet in a pattern that forces any air bubbles out
from underneath laminate. If NVMT sheet is
oversized, sheet can now be trimmed with a router.
After trimming, edges should be filed for a smooth
splinter free edge.

Once installed, NVMT must be grounded to ensure
proper charge dissipation. Refer to general grounding
guidelines on this page.

Fabrication Tips

1. All saw blades and router bits used for cutting
should be carbide tipped. Feed rate should be slow
and tool speed should be high. To minimize the
development of surface scratches caused by router
bits, lubricating the laminate edge with a wax stick
is recommended prior to tooling.

2. Inside corners of cutouts for electrical outlets, sinks,
etc., should have a minimum radius of 1/8"
(3mm) and should be filed smooth. This reduces
the likelihood of stress cracks.

3. All edges of laminate should be filed smooth with
file direction towards substrate to help
prevent stress cracks and to minimize chipping.

4. When nails or screws must be used, it is advisable
to first drill an oversized hole through the laminate.
This reduces the likelihood of stress cracks.

5. NVMT is intended for interior use only, and should
not be exposed to extreme humidity, continuous
sunlight, or temperatures above 275°F (135°C) for
extended periods of time.

6. Work surfaces must be grounded for proper static
dissipation.

For more information on the characteristics of
nonindustrial laminates related to end-user
applications please refer to National Electrical
Manufacturers Association, publication LD 3-1995.
The address for NEMA is:

NEMA
1300 North 17th Street, Suite 1847
Rosslyn, Virginia 22209
Phone: [phone]
Web: www.nema.org.

Once installed, NVMT must be grounded to ensure
proper charge dissipation. See below.

General Grounding Guidelines

1. When grounding NVMT, it is essential to make
intimate contact with the conductive layer which is
directly below the dissipative, color layer. See the
diagram on page 1 showing the multi-layered
construction.

2. For proper and safe ESD protection, the grounding
wire must be tied directly to and at the same
potential as the facility power ground or “green
wire” ground. Atypical “green wire” ground if
properly wired is the screw of a switch or outlet
cover plate.

3. If power is to be used at the ESD protected
workstation, per ANSI/ESD S20.20 paragraph 5, a
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) is
recommended.

4. Test all workstation grounds for proper resistance to
ground. For information on instruments and
procedures for the proper testing of grounds we
recommend that you contact ECOS Electronics,
205 Harrison Street, Oak Park, IL 60304, (708) 383­2505, Fax [phone].

ESD Systems.com • 432 Northboro Road Central • Marlboro, MA 01752 • [phone] • Fax [phone] • Website: ESDSystems.com

© 2008 DESCO INDUSTRIES, INC.

Employee Owned