Electricity is central to almost every area of modern life. Without it, many things would simply grind to a halt. Like water, electrostatic charge tries to flow in order to create an equilibrium. So if two objects with unequal electrostatic charges touch (or come close), they try to balance the equations of electrical charge in a fraction of a second. Ever pulled off a sweater in the dark and seen tiny sparks? Or heard that distinctive crackling noise as your hair stands on end? You might be shocked to learn that up to 2,000 volts of static electricity can be discharged through your hair or skin. But what’s similarly shocking is that even 30 volts of static in an electronic component are enough to cause significant damage. 

With all this electricity zapping around us and static simply dying to be discharged, manufacturers have to put a great deal of thought into protecting products and materials. From the microchips and circuit boards of household electronics to industrial plants and laboratories - every sensitive product that could be damaged by charging and discharging needs to be protected.

One of the best ways to avoid static electricity from building up in the first place and causing accidents is to use conductive materials. These can now be found on floors and a whole host of small items all around us (such as packaging). The right conductive properties make static electricity easy to control and help protect people (and products) from disastrous discharges.

Read on to explore our solutions for creating conductive coatings: Our Iriotec® 7000 pigments

Our Iriotec® 7000 conductive pigments allow manufacturers of surface coatings, paints, and varnishes to add important conductive properties to their solutions. Incredibly effective at eradicating static electricity – that’s the function of our Iriotec® 7000 range of pigment additives in a nutshell. Available in a variety of light colors and transparent formats, they offer outstanding performance. The surface resistance offered by our pigments ranges from 10^4 to 10^9 ohms, making them suitable for a wide range of applications:

• Conductive floorings
• Conductive primers that enable electrostatic spray application (ESTA) 
• Antistatic coatings, also translucent if required