What is a Faraday Bag?

A Faraday bag is constantly referenced in the ESD packaging industry as it is a supreme form of protection against electrostatic discharge, especially when compared to pink antistatic bags.

But just what exactly is a Faraday cage? And how did this term come about?

The Faraday cage is named after the pioneer of electrochemistry, Michael Faraday.

The British scientist first constructed the ‘Faraday’ cage in 1836.

He conducted the experiment by lining a room with metal foil and zapping it with static electricity from the outside.

He showed that an electroscope inside the room registered no electrical activity.

His experiment proved that an electrical charge outside a conductor would not affect anything placed inside it.  

This experiment laid the foundation for the Faraday cage, which is named in his honour.

His work also led to other scientific units being named after him, such as the farad (for capacitance) and the faraday (a unit of charge).

How Does Metal Protect Against Static Discharge

In a Faraday cage the metal used will act as a conductor. This conductor will redistribute the electrical charge from an external field,

This charge redistribution creates a secondary, opposing electric field that cancels out the external field inside the cage. Therefore, shielding the interior from electromagnetic interference. 

Faraday Bags & ESD Packaging

Our static shielding bags emulate a Faraday cage by using a multilayer construction.

The ESD-safe bags feature a 4-layer construction, comprising an outer static dissipative layer, transparent metallised polyester, polyethylene, and an inner static dissipative layer.

These multilayers provide a complete Faraday cage protection against the effects of ESD.

Faraday Cage in Everyday Life

However, we don’t only see the use of the Faraday cage is the ESD industry, we see it in our everyday lives.

One example of this is when an aeroplane is struck by lightning, which occurs quite frequently.

The outer construction of modern-day aeroplanes is made of metal, forming a protective layer that prevents electrical charge from penetrating. This therefore protects the passengers inside the plane.

A similar thing happens when cars are struck by lightning.

Static Shield’s Highly Protective Faraday Bags

As mentioned previously, our Faraday bags form a continuous Faraday cage around the contents, effectively preventing electrostatic discharge (ESD) events from reaching the product. While pink antistatic polythene bags only offer surface charge dissipation and limited short-term protection, our Static Shielding bags provide true electrostatic shielding.

This ensures components remain fully protected even when exposed to high-risk environments or external static fields.

To purchase our static shielding bags (Faraday bags), click here.