All equipment should be grounded through the power cord.

If any portion of the equipment is isolated from the chassis ground then electrical connections should between all the pieces or sections of the equipment so it is all grounded. It can be as simple as having a conductive floor and using chains to drag onto the floor, or using metal pads for the feet of the equipment on the grounded floor.

One should also review the equipment for any element which may not be static dissipative allowing an electrical charge to build up, for example a place where paper is slid across a non metallic surface or a conveyor that is supported by non metallic supports or isolated from the base system. When these conditions are evident, wires can be installed to ground the units together.

Inside of the AHE (automated handling equipment) you have ESD events, called from CDM (Charged Device Model). This ESD event is very fast. For ESD control you shell first all metal parts are grounding and second you shell use an ionizer. The ionizer shell is placed inside of the AHE. The ionizer shell discharge the electronic device and the PCB directly before the electronic device placed on the PCB.

If you have more questions, we have a very long experience in static control, also inside of machines or outside on workstation.

In most cases, electrostatic discharge protection should be built into the equipment, it is difficult to retrofit, but I can give you some tips.

1. Talk to the equipment supplier. They should know how to control ESD on their equipment.
2. One of the most common sources of static charge is on the conveyor. See if the equipment supplier has some ESD belts or conveying chains and make sure the conveyor is grounded.
3. Get a digital static meter. You can find one on-line by Googling “static meter”. Use the static meter to find areas where there is high charge and ground that area.
4. Ion fans are available. Again, Google is your friend. I tried “static discharge ion fan” and several came up. They help dissipate static charge, particularly in dry environments. They can help, but won’t prevent a serious problem.
5. If you are in a very dry environment, consider small increases in humidity.
6. Look for areas where plastic or rubber is used to isolate metal parts, particularly those that have some electrical component on them. Create a ground path for these areas.

Contact the manufacturer of the equipment for this information