Introduction to the Concept of Electrostatic Equipotentiality
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) typically occurs when a charged object has a higher electrostatic potential relative to ground than surrounding objects. When this potential difference reaches a certain threshold, the object with the higher potential can discharge to surrounding objects with a lower potential. ESD in electronic production environments generally falls into this category. The problem of ESD can be solved by bringing all equipment, metal conductors, tools, personnel, and anti-static equipment (supplies) in the environment to the same potential. In practice, when grounding is not possible, in applications like aircraft and mobile electronic communication vehicles, all metal parts of the structure and the casings of instruments and equipment are typically connected to the same potential relative to ground, thus preventing ESD between them.
