Do we expect ESD failures in an EPA designed according to international standards? The need for a process related risk analysis

ESD failures can occur in ESD protected areas that are designed according to the latest ESD standards like ANSI S20.20 or IEC 61340-5-1. The root cause for the failures can normally only be found by a detailed analysis of the whole production flow. This paper shows what hazards for ESD damages can occur in a typical process flow of a typical PCB manufacturing line, how the risk is going to be analyzed, and how it can be minimized. This method will be explained with some examples from the field.