ESD Safe Storage Products in India: Specifying the Alkon Conductive Range
ESD Safe Storage Products in India tend to be bought twice: once in a hurry before an audit, and again properly when somebody works out what the first order left uncovered. This page is written for the second order. It sets out the Alkon conductive programme item by item, with the sizes as catalogued: conductive Supra bins SB 1-C to SB 8-C, ESD Panda shelf bins PSB 401-C to 406-C with their standard shelving combinations, the AMS conductive modular drawer system and utility containers, PCB carriers with their aluminium guides, the ACO 25-C conductive component organiser and the AWS ESD workstations. It then works through how to equip an electronics store and assembly area zone by zone, and what to settle with your own ESD coordinator before a purchase order is raised.
What the Alkon ESD programme covers, and the physics in one paragraph
Alkon Plastics Pvt. Ltd. describes itself as the manufacturer of the largest range of material handling bins in India, and its ESD safe products form one of the nine categories in the 476-product catalogue carried on this site. Shreeram Metafusion Engineers Pvt. Ltd. has been an authorised stockist and supplier of Alkon products for over thirty years, and we supply the conductive range from Sector 17, Vashi, Navi Mumbai. The category is organised into working groups: conductive Supra bins, conductive Panda shelf bins, twenty-four standard combinations of ESD Panda shelf bins with shelving systems, conductive modular drawer systems and utility containers, PCB carriers, one conductive component organiser and two workstations. The complete listing sits on the ESD safe products category page.
One paragraph of theory is enough here, because the subject is covered properly in our guide to ESD-safe storage and conductive bins. Alkon's own note on electrostatic discharge explains that charge accumulates whenever contact and separation happen faster than charge can redistribute, that static charges of 30,000 volts are not uncommon and can be generated by the simple act of walking across a floor, and that a discharge of only 10 volts can destroy a class 1 sensitive device. Alkon classifies anti-static material as conductive at 10^3 to 10^6 ohms per square, static dissipative at 10^7 to 10^9, anti-static at 10^10 to 10^12 and insulative above that, and states that only conductive or static dissipative material should be used in ESD protected areas.
A point that catches buyers out on the first order is that the conductive grade is not one single material across the whole programme, and the difference matters for how the items are handled. The conductive Supra bins are moulded in polypropylene copolymer, so they belong with the bin ranges that carry a service range of minus 10 degrees C to plus 70 degrees C. The AMS modular systems, the ACO 25-C organiser and the conductive L-type PCB carrier are made from conductive polystyrene, while the non-conductive L-type carrier is high impact polystyrene. No service range is published here for the polystyrene items, so confirm heat and wash limits with us before anything of that grade goes near an oven, a hot wash or a bench lamp at close range.
Conductive Supra bins: SB 1-C to SB 8-C and their catalogued sizes
The conductive Supra group is the workhorse of the programme and the part most stores buy first. All sizes are moulded in polypropylene copolymer with a strong rear lip for use with a louvre panel, a reinforced base, side and stacking rim, resistance to most industrial solvents, clear access to the contents and identification card holder slots on every bin. A safety stop feature is incorporated at the back of SB 4-C, SB 5-C and SB 6-C for use in shelves, which is what stops a heavy bin being pulled straight off a shelf edge when an operator reaches for the back of it. Bin and partition are black, and dimensions are approximate.
Read the orientation carefully rather than assuming length is always the front-to-back dimension. In the catalogue table SB 5-C is listed at 290 length by 363 width by 145 height, so it is a broad, shallow bin, while SB 6-C at 440 by 180 by 145 is long and narrow. Those two sizes suit completely different shelves, and a layout drawn from a photograph rather than the table will have one of them hanging over the shelf edge. Check each size against your actual clear shelf depth, and allow for the front lip and for the label holder, because a bin that fits exactly is a bin that gets knocked off every time a trolley passes.
The conductive Supra listing on this site runs to nine entries, which covers the eight sizes given below plus conductive partitions; the largest, SB 8-C, is subject to a minimum order quantity, so confirm quantities with us before you fix a rack layout around it. Partitions matter more than they look: if the bin is conductive and the divider inside it is ordinary polypropylene borrowed from the standard range, the part spends most of its life resting against an insulator. Order conductive partitions with the bins, in the same lot. Sizes, features and accessories for the standard grade are set out on our Alkon Supra bins page.
- SB 1-C outside 125 x 100 x 60 mm, inside 117 x 80 x 52 mm
- SB 2-C outside 170 x 100 x 85 mm, inside 157 x 80 x 75 mm
- SB 3-C outside 220 x 130 x 125 mm, inside 200 x 115 x 115 mm
- SB 4-C outside 290 x 178 x 143 mm, inside 265 x 155 x 130 mm
- SB 5-C outside 290 x 363 x 145 mm, inside 265 x 340 x 130 mm
- SB 6-C outside 440 x 180 x 145 mm, inside 415 x 154 x 130 mm
- SB 7-C outside 435 x 425 x 215 mm, inside 405 x 380 x 208 mm; SB 8-C outside 600 x 425 x 300 mm, inside 530 x 375 x 290 mm, subject to MOQ
ESD Panda shelf bins: PSB 401-C to 406-C
The conductive Panda shelf bins are made from conductive polypropylene and are designed to fit roll post shelving systems, sized to suit 400 mm deep shelving. Every size shares a 415 mm length, so the bin runs front to back along the shelf and only the width changes, which is what makes a Panda run so easy to re-plan later. Each bin has an integral back stop for clear viewing of the contents, partitions notched to locate positively inside the bin, and a small handle that leaves the maximum area of the front face free for identification labels. Bin and partition are black, and all dimensions are approximate.
Two details on this listing are worth raising at enquiry stage rather than discovering later. First, the descriptive text refers to five standard bin sizes while the conductive table carries six codes, so ask us to confirm which sizes are current before you standardise. Second, the effective height column is the number your planner needs, not the outside height: PSB 401-C is 60 mm high outside but gives 55 mm of effective height, and PSB 406-C is 185 mm outside for 180 mm effective. When you are deciding whether a tube of ICs or a bagged connector set will stand upright in the bin, work from the effective height.
Standard pack quantities should also be built into the indent, because they differ sharply across the range and they set the practical minimum order. PSB 401-C and PSB 402-C are packed 24 to a pack, PSB 403-C and PSB 404-C 12 to a pack, and PSB 405-C and PSB 406-C 6 to a pack. A cell that needs 40 pick faces in the 401-C size is therefore two packs, and a cell that needs 15 in the 406-C size is three. Planning to the pack rather than to the exact face count avoids the awkward second order six weeks later that arrives from a different moulding lot.
- PSB 401-C outside 415 x 100 x 60 mm, inside 393 x 86 x 55 mm, 3 partitions, effective height 55 mm, pack of 24
- PSB 402-C outside 415 x 100 x 110 mm, inside 393 x 86 x 105 mm, 2 partitions, effective height 105 mm, pack of 24
- PSB 403-C outside 415 x 150 x 110 mm, inside 393 x 136 x 105 mm, 2 partitions, effective height 105 mm, pack of 12
- PSB 404-C outside 415 x 220 x 135 mm, inside 393 x 210 x 130 mm, 2 partitions, effective height 130 mm, pack of 12
- PSB 405-C outside 415 x 300 x 135 mm, inside 393 x 282 x 130 mm, 2 partitions, effective height 130 mm, pack of 6
- PSB 406-C outside 415 x 300 x 185 mm, inside 393 x 282 x 180 mm, 2 partitions, effective height 180 mm, pack of 6
Standard ESD Panda shelving combinations, by height
A standard combination is a complete unit quoted as one item: a shelving body, a stated number of ASUS 400 shelves, usually an ASUKP kick plate, and a stated number of conductive Panda bins already worked out to fill the shelves. Twenty-four such combinations are listed in the ESD category. Four body heights are used, all 400 mm deep: 1275 mm on the ASUB 124 body (ASU 7C to 12C), 1875 mm on the ASUB 184 body (ASU 37C to 42C), 2175 mm on the ASUB 214 body (ASU 67C to 72C) and 2375 mm on the ASUB 234 body (ASU 97C to 102C). Buying the combination rather than the parts removes the commonest planning error in a Panda run, which is ordering shelves and bins that do not divide neatly into one another and leaving half a shelf empty on every level.
The bin counts tell you how much usable shelf width each body gives. Nine PSB 401-C bins at 100 mm wide, six PSB 403-C at 150 mm, four PSB 404-C at 220 mm and three PSB 405-C at 300 mm all land close to 900 mm, so plan your aisle on the basis of a bay a little over 900 mm wide and 415 mm of bin length projecting front to back. The density this gives is the reason the format is used in electronics stores at all: the ASU 37C puts 162 separate conductive pick faces into a single 400 mm deep bay a little over 900 mm wide.
Height is the decision to take first, and it is a reach question rather than a capacity question. The 1275 mm units suit a seated kitting bench, a line-side position where an operator must see over the top, or a mezzanine with limited headroom. The 1875 mm, 2175 mm and 2375 mm units suit a walled store where nothing has to be seen across. Note also that the ASU 10C and ASU 11C are catalogued without a kick plate in the standard build, and that adding one changes both the shelf count and the bin count, so confirm the final quantities on the order acknowledgement. Our Alkon Panda shelving systems page covers the shelving bodies and shelf options in the standard grade.
- ASU 7C, 1275 mm high, 400 mm deep: ASUB 124 body, 13 ASUS 400 shelves, 1 ASUKP kick plate, 9 PSB 401-C per shelf, 108 bins
- ASU 8C, 1275 mm high: ASUB 124 body, 9 shelves, 1 kick plate, 9 PSB 402-C per shelf, 72 bins
- ASU 9C, 1275 mm high: ASUB 124 body, 9 shelves, 1 kick plate, 6 PSB 403-C per shelf, 48 bins
- ASU 10C, 1275 mm high: ASUB 124 body, 8 shelves, no kick plate in the standard unit, 4 PSB 404-C per shelf, 28 bins
- ASU 11C, 1275 mm high: ASUB 124 body, 8 shelves, no kick plate in the standard unit, 3 PSB 405-C per shelf, 21 bins
- ASU 12C, 1275 mm high: ASUB 124 body, 6 shelves, 1 kick plate, 3 PSB 406-C per shelf, 15 bins
- ASU 37C, 1875 mm high: ASUB 184 body, 19 shelves, 1 kick plate, 9 PSB 401-C per shelf, 162 bins
- ASU 38C, 1875 mm high: ASUB 184 body, 13 shelves, 1 kick plate, 9 PSB 402-C per shelf, 108 bins; the remaining sixteen, all with 1 kick plate: ASU 39C to 42C (ASUB 184) with 13, 11, 11 and 9 shelves holding 72 PSB 403-C, 40 PSB 404-C, 30 PSB 405-C and 24 PSB 406-C; ASU 67C to 72C, 2175 mm high (ASUB 214), with 22, 15, 15, 13, 13 and 10 shelves holding 189, 126, 84, 48, 36 and 27 bins of PSB 401-C to 406-C respectively; ASU 97C to 102C, 2375 mm high (ASUB 234), with 24, 16, 16, 14, 14 and 11 shelves holding 207, 135, 90, 52, 39 and 30 bins of PSB 401-C to 406-C respectively
Conductive drawer storage: AMS modular systems, utility containers and the ACO 25-C
The Alkon Modular System in conductive grade is built from standard modules that interlock and stack one on top of another, made from conductive polystyrene and supplied with a central locking system. Four drawer sizes are used, interchangeable in the ratio 1:2:3:4, all sharing the same 360 mm depth and 270 mm width internally and differing only in height. AMS 12L-C carries twelve AD 1-C drawers at 360 x 270 x 16 mm internal; AMS 6L-C carries six AD 2-C drawers at 360 x 270 x 39 mm; AMS 4L-C carries four AD 3-C drawers at 360 x 270 x 62 mm; AMS 3L-C carries three AD 4-C drawers at 360 x 270 x 87 mm.
The common footprint is what makes this range worth standardising on across a plant. Because all four drawer heights occupy the same plan area in the ratio 1:2:3:4, a cabinet that starts life holding twelve shallow drawers of taped strips can be rebuilt later as four deep drawers of connectors without a new housing. Choose the height by the tallest item that must lie flat: the 16 mm AD 1-C suits cut tape strips, thin bagged parts, labels and documentation; the 39 mm AD 2-C suits tubes and small bagged sub-assemblies; the 62 mm AD 3-C and 87 mm AD 4-C take relays, connectors, heatsinks and potted modules. The central lock is worth having wherever high-value semiconductors are held at the point of use.
Conductive utility containers exist to stop a deep drawer becoming a mixing bowl. Three sizes are available in black, made to fit inside the AD 3-C and AD 4-C drawers, so a single deep drawer can hold three or four related part numbers without them migrating into one another every time it is pulled out sharply. This is a small item in the programme and the one that most often decides whether the drawers stay tidy after the first month. Order them with the cabinets rather than afterwards, and decide the split at the same time as you print the drawer labels.
For very small parts held in quantity at a bench, the conductive component organiser is the better format. The ACO 25-C is a cabinet of 397 mm wide by 238 mm high by 160 mm deep holding twenty-five small drawers of 155 x 71 x 35 mm each, made from conductive polystyrene. Compare that with the standard ACO 18 at 457 high by 424 wide by 164 deep and the design intent is clear: the conductive unit trades drawer volume for drawer count and sits in a narrow strip at the back of a workbench. The wider organiser family, drawer mixes and mounting options are covered on our component organisers page.
PCB carriers: adjustable, fixed and L-type
Alkon adjustable PCB carriers are used to protect boards during storage or transport along an assembly line, and can be integrated with automatic component insertion machines. They stack one on top of another, and each carrier has 31 distinct slots holding a maximum of 31 boards. Carrier No. 5 has sides of 350 mm length by 105 mm height and is described as useful for small to medium boards; Carrier No. 6 has sides of 350 mm length by 210 mm width and is intended for medium sized boards. The carrier itself is only half the item: the aluminium guides that set the board width are ordered separately.
The guides are the part to get right on the purchase order. Special aluminium guides have a design that remains flush with the carrier and allow the width to be adjusted to suit the board. Three standard lengths are available, each supplied as a set of two pieces: APCRG-2 at 253 mm, APCRG-3 at 353 mm and APCRG-5 at 553 mm. Carrier No. 6 requires two sets of guides; confirm with us how many sets Carrier No. 5 needs for your board size. Different sizes of board can be accommodated by using different guide lengths across two carriers, which is how a single line handles two product families without buying a second complete set of carriers.
Fixed carriers are the economical option for handling clinched SMDs, soldered boards or bare boards of any size, with tapered slots that hold the boards in a tapered position, and they are packed five pieces to a box. The fixed L-type carrier is a two-side support design that holds boards on two contiguous edges for stronger card holding, measures 207 mm deep by 273 mm wide by 95 mm high, and has 25 grooves at 9 mm pitch and 3 mm width. It is nestable when not in use, which matters on a bench where empty carriers otherwise consume as much space as full ones.
The L-type comes in two grades and the choice is a boundary decision, not a preference. APCR 4-C is the conductive version in black, made from conductive polystyrene, and is the one described as excellent for work benches; APCR 4-N is the non-conductive version in grey, made from high impact polystyrene. Use the black conductive carriers anywhere a populated or bare sensitive board is handled, and reserve the grey ones for areas where nothing static-sensitive is exposed. One further practical check before ordering either: with 9 mm pitch and 3 mm groove width, a board carrying tall components on one face will not use every groove, so count the usable slots for your own board profile rather than assuming 25.
ESD workstations: AWS 12060 and AWS 12060 SP
Two workstation sizes are listed, both with a table top of 1200 mm wide by 600 mm deep. The AWS 12060 has an overall height of 1800 mm and the AWS 12060 SP an overall height of 1500 mm. The structure is made from 20 mm by 40 mm rectangular pipes of 18 gauge, powder coated in light grey RAL 7035. What makes these useful to specify as a unit rather than assembling a bench yourself is that the static-control hardware is part of the standard build: the ESD mat for the table top comes with its grounding cord, and the base sits on four conductive levelling screws with height adjustment.
The height difference is the whole decision between the two codes. The 1800 mm unit carries the writing and felt board, which is supplied only for the AWS 12060, and that extra 300 mm of structure is where an overhead board and light sit comfortably above a seated technician. The 1500 mm SP version suits a position on an assembly line where supervisors and material handlers need to see across the bench, or a bay with low ducting or a beam that rules out the taller frame. Measure the clear height under services before ordering, because a workstation delivered 300 mm too tall cannot be cut down.
Two things still sit outside the supply and should be on your own list. The universal spike protector is rated 230 V, 50 Hz, 15 amps with four sockets, so your electrical contractor must provide a properly earthed supply point at the bench, and the earth quality of that point is what the whole station depends on. Second, the conductive bins fitted to the louvre panel are supplied as required rather than as a fixed count, so tell us the bin sizes and quantities when you enquire. An Alkon Modular System with lock is included in the standard configuration for holding higher-value items at the bench.
- Structure of 20 x 40 mm rectangular pipes, 18 gauge, powder coated light grey RAL 7035
- ESD mat for the table top with grounding cord
- Universal spike protector 230 V, 50 Hz, 15 amps, four sockets
- Four conductive levelling screws for the base with height adjustment
- Foot rest, and an 18 W LED slim light
- Louvre panel, with conductive bins fitted as required
- Tool tray with the option of fitting on the left or the right side
- Alkon Modular System with lock, one number
- Writing and felt board supplied only on the AWS 12060
Goods-in and the bulk store: where conductive spend is not needed
The most expensive mistake in an ESD storage order is buying conductive containers for material that never leaves its packaging. Components arriving at a plant in Sriperumbudur or Greater Noida come in reels, tubes, tape-and-reel cartons and sealed bags, and while they remain sealed the packaging is doing the protecting. Decanting them into black bins at goods-in adds cost, adds an audit population and adds a handling step that itself generates charge. Goods-in should run on the standard ranges: Tote AK-421 at 400 x 255 x 100 mm for bagged reels, Bull Bins for boxed items, Mammoth at 820 x 315 x 300 mm for bulk cartons.
The same applies to the bulk store behind the kitting bench. Mechanical content in an electronics plant is usually a bigger part of the part count than the electronics: enclosures, heatsinks, gaskets, fasteners, DIN rail, cable glands, wire, labels, cartons and printed matter. None of that needs a conductive container, and putting it in one dilutes the visual signal that makes the black bins mean something in the first place. Keep the conductive population small enough that a black bin sitting on a general shelf is obviously out of place, which is a control that costs nothing and works on every shift.
Where goods-in does earn conductive stock is in the quarantine and inspection position, because that is the first place a bag gets opened. An incoming inspector opening a moisture barrier bag to count or verify parts is handling bare devices, and that bench needs the same treatment as an assembly bench. In practice one AWS workstation or one small conductive Supra set on a louvre panel at incoming inspection, plus a few conductive utility containers, covers a goods-in bay that is otherwise entirely standard. It is a small line on the order and it closes a gap that most first-time ESD rollouts leave open.
Kitting, line side and the repair bench
Kitting is the zone that decides your conductive bin count, because it is where sealed packs are opened and where kits are made up for the line. Equip it as a bench plus a shelving run: an AWS 12060 or 12060 SP for the opening and counting position, and one or two Panda combinations behind it. If the kit list is many part numbers in small quantities, the ASU 37C at 162 PSB 401-C faces is the right shape; if the quantities are larger, ASU 9C or ASU 10C with the 150 mm and 220 mm wide bins gives fewer but deeper faces. Kits themselves travel best in conductive Supra bins in the SB 3-C or SB 4-C sizes.
Line side is a different problem, because the constraint is reach rather than capacity. At the bench face you want small conductive Supra sizes on a louvre panel, typically SB 1-C at 125 x 100 x 60 mm and SB 2-C at 170 x 100 x 85 mm, where the operator can take a part without standing up or turning away from the work. Behind them, an AMS 12L-C or AMS 6L-C holds the shallow items that must stay in their tape or tubes. Boards move along the line in adjustable PCB carriers, and the carrier size should be chosen once for the largest board the cell builds, with guide lengths varied for the rest.
The repair and rework bench is where the programme usually pays for itself, because a technician there handles more distinct part numbers than anyone on the line and handles them out of their packaging. This is the natural home for the ACO 25-C conductive component organiser, with twenty-five drawers of 155 x 71 x 35 mm covering the small semiconductors, connectors, LEDs and passives that a repair job calls for one at a time. Add an AMS 4L-C or AMS 3L-C for the bulkier spares, conductive utility containers inside the deep drawers, and APCR 4-C L-type carriers to hold boards waiting at the bench.
One transfer rule holds all three zones together and it costs nothing to apply: parts crossing into the controlled area come out of their bag at kitting and stay in conductive containers until the assembly is enclosed. That means the conductive population you have to buy is exactly the kitting bench, the line-side faces and the repair bench, plus a margin. Working the count out zone by zone in this way typically produces a much smaller and much more defensible order than an attempt to convert a whole store at once, and it leaves budget for the accessories that actually complete the installation.
A worked example: equipping one controller assembly cell
Take a realistic case, framed as an example rather than a case study: a lighting driver and controller manufacturer in Greater Noida sets up one new cell building two board variants, with 62 part numbers held at the point of use. Of those, 26 are on reel and live on the reel trolley, 21 are small loose items picked at the bench, 9 are bulkier items such as connectors, terminal blocks and heatsinks, and 6 are tubes and taped strips of ICs and MOSFETs that must stay flat. Two operators work the cell and one technician runs a rework bench beside it.
The arithmetic follows from that split. The 21 small picked items go to conductive Supra SB 1-C and SB 2-C on a louvre panel at the bench face, with a few spare faces for growth. The 9 bulkier items go to a single ASU 10C combination, whose four PSB 404-C bins per shelf at 220 mm wide suit connectors and terminal blocks well. The 6 tube and strip lines go to one AMS 12L-C, whose twelve AD 1-C drawers at 360 x 270 x 16 mm internal take taped strips lying flat. The rework bench takes one ACO 25-C and one AMS 4L-C with conductive utility containers in the deep drawers.
The resulting order list is short and every line has a reason behind it: one AWS 12060 SP for the kitting position because the cell is on an open line where supervisors need sight across the bench, one AWS 12060 for the rework bench where the writing and felt board is useful, one ASU 10C combination, one AMS 12L-C, one AMS 4L-C, one ACO 25-C, conductive Supra bins in two sizes with conductive partitions, a set of conductive utility containers, and adjustable PCB carriers with APCRG-3 guides sized to the larger of the two board variants. Nothing in the bulk store behind the cell changes at all.
What to confirm with your own ESD coordinator before you order
Everything above is a catalogue decision. The questions below are not ours to answer, and a supplier who offers to answer them for you is the wrong supplier. Your ESD coordinator, or whoever signs your static control procedure, owns the boundary of the protected area, the grounding scheme, the measurement regime and the acceptance criteria your customers audit you against. What we can do is make sure the hardware you order fits that scheme rather than cutting across it, which means the conversation has to happen before the purchase order and not after the first audit finding.
The single most common gap is not the bins at all but the path under them. A conductive bin standing on a painted shelf, a conductive cabinet bolted to an unbonded rack, or a conductive workstation on a floor finish that was never part of the scheme leaves you with an isolated conductor rather than a grounded one. Ask your coordinator to specify how each item you are buying connects to the common point ground, and confirm it for the shelving bodies and the workstation frame specifically, because those are the two items where the connection is a fixing detail rather than a supplied accessory.
The second gap is mixing. Conductive and standard versions of the same Alkon item look similar enough at a glance that one borrowed partition, one standard drawer slipped into a conductive cabinet, or one grey APCR 4-N carrier used in place of a black APCR 4-C will pass unnoticed for months. Ask for the marking and segregation rule in writing, hold a small spares allowance of conductive partitions, drawers and utility containers from the same order, and add the drawer and partition type to your periodic audit list rather than only the cabinet.
- Which zones are inside the formally defined protected area, and where exactly does the boundary run on the floor
- How is each shelving body, cabinet and workstation frame to be bonded to the common point ground
- What acceptance criteria apply on receipt, and what test data does your audit file require against the specific item code
- Which items may be non-conductive, for example APCR 4-N carriers outside the boundary
- Are the polystyrene items restricted from any wash, bake or heat process in your plant
- What is the segregation and marking rule that keeps standard partitions and drawers out of conductive units
- What spares allowance of conductive partitions, drawers and utility containers should be held from the same order
- Who owns the periodic check, and does it cover partitions and drawers as well as cabinets
- Are wrist straps, mats, testers and shielding bags being sourced in the same project, since those are outside this range
- Does the layout leave the drawer pull-out and bin reach clear of gangways inside the controlled area
Buying the Alkon ESD range: accessories, stock and supply from Vashi
Write the enquiry around the zone list rather than around item codes, and the quotation will come back closer to what you actually need. Send us the part numbers to be held at each position with rough sizes and holding quantities, the bench and wall dimensions you have to work within, which zones are inside your protected area, and how many identical stations are being equipped. From that we can propose Supra sizes, a Panda combination, an AMS configuration and the carrier and guide lengths, rather than quoting back whatever code happened to be named. It also lets us flag any size that exists in the standard grade but needs confirming in the conductive one.
Accessories are where installations quietly fail, so confirm them line by line at the same time as the main items. Conductive partitions for the Supra and Panda bins, aluminium guides for the adjustable PCB carriers, conductive utility containers for the AD 3-C and AD 4-C drawers, the ASUKP kick plate where it changes shelf and bin counts, and louvre panels, rails, stands and trolleys for the bench positions all belong on the same order. Ordering them later means a second lot, a second delivery and, in a black-moulded range, a population you can no longer tell apart by eye.
We hold and supply the Alkon range from Shop-1, Gagangiri Chs, Sector 17, Vashi, Navi Mumbai 400703, which puts us alongside the Thane-Belapur belt and within easy reach of Mumbai, Pune and Nashik, with regular despatches to customers across Maharashtra and Gujarat and onward to the electronics and EMS clusters around Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and the Delhi NCR region, and to engineering and general manufacturing units in Coimbatore, Ahmedabad and Rajkot. Talk to us on 93266 29967 or 98201 01937, write to enquiry@shreeram-metafusion.com, or visit Monday to Saturday between 10:00 and 19:00. As an authorised stockist of over thirty years standing, we would far rather correct a specification before despatch than after it.
Frequently asked questions
What sizes are available in the conductive Supra bin range?
Eight conductive Supra sizes carry published dimensions: SB 1-C at 125 x 100 x 60 mm outside and 117 x 80 x 52 mm inside, SB 2-C at 170 x 100 x 85 mm, SB 3-C at 220 x 130 x 125 mm, SB 4-C at 290 x 178 x 143 mm, SB 5-C at 290 x 363 x 145 mm, SB 6-C at 440 x 180 x 145 mm, SB 7-C at 435 x 425 x 215 mm and SB 8-C at 600 x 425 x 300 mm (subject to MOQ). All are moulded in polypropylene copolymer in black with identification card holder slots, and SB 4-C, SB 5-C and SB 6-C incorporate a safety stop at the back for use in shelves. The conductive listing runs to nine entries, the eight sizes plus conductive partitions, so confirm the SB 8-C minimum order quantity with us before you fix a layout.
How do the ESD Panda shelf bins differ from the standard Panda bins?
The conductive versions are made from conductive polypropylene rather than the standard grade, but they share the design intent and the 415 mm length of the standard PSB 401 to 406 bins, so they fit 400 mm deep roll post shelving in the same way; the standard range runs to thirty sizes for 300, 400, 450, 500 and 600 mm deep shelving in blue, whereas the conductive range is only the six 400 mm sizes in black. The six conductive codes are PSB 401-C through PSB 406-C, varying in width from 100 mm to 300 mm and in outside height from 60 mm to 185 mm. Each comes with two or three notched partitions, an integral back stop for clear viewing, and a small handle that leaves the front face free for labels. Standard pack quantities differ across the range, at 24, 12 or 6 pieces depending on size, and that usually sets the practical minimum order.
Which standard ESD Panda shelving combination should I choose?
Decide the height first and the bin size second. The ASU 7C to ASU 12C combinations are built on the 1275 mm ASUB 124 body and suit seated kitting positions, line-side placement where people must see over the top, and mezzanines with limited headroom. The ASU 37C to ASU 42C combinations use the 1875 mm ASUB 184 body, and ASU 67C to 72C (2175 mm, ASUB 214) and ASU 97C to 102C (2375 mm, ASUB 234) go taller still, for walled stores where nothing has to be seen across. Then pick by bin: the 401-C and 402-C builds give the most faces, at 108 and 72 bins on the 1275 mm body, 162 and 108 at 1875 mm, 189 and 126 at 2175 mm and 207 and 135 at 2375 mm, while the 404-C, 405-C and 406-C builds give fewer but much deeper faces. Confirm the final shelf and bin counts on the order acknowledgement, because the kick plate option changes them on the ASU 10C and ASU 11C.
What drawer sizes does the conductive Alkon Modular System give me?
Four drawer heights are used, all sharing the same internal 360 mm depth and 270 mm width and interchangeable in the ratio 1:2:3:4. AMS 12L-C carries twelve AD 1-C drawers at 360 x 270 x 16 mm internal, AMS 6L-C carries six AD 2-C drawers at 360 x 270 x 39 mm, AMS 4L-C carries four AD 3-C drawers at 360 x 270 x 62 mm, and AMS 3L-C carries three AD 4-C drawers at 360 x 270 x 87 mm. The modules interlock and stack on top of one another, all cabinets are supplied with a central locking system, and they are made from conductive polystyrene. Conductive utility containers in three sizes are available to fit inside the AD 3-C and AD 4-C drawers.
What is the difference between the APCR 4-C and APCR 4-N PCB carriers?
They are the same fixed L-type carrier in two different materials. APCR 4-C is the conductive version in black, made from conductive polystyrene and described as suited to work benches where static-sensitive boards are handled. APCR 4-N is the non-conductive version in grey, made from high impact polystyrene, and belongs outside the protected area or wherever nothing static-sensitive is exposed. Both measure 207 mm deep by 273 mm wide by 95 mm high with 25 grooves at 9 mm pitch and 3 mm width, hold boards on two contiguous edges for stronger card holding, and nest when not in use. Because the two look alike apart from colour, agree a marking and segregation rule with your ESD coordinator before both are in the same building.
How many aluminium guides do I need with the adjustable PCB carriers?
Guides are ordered separately from the carriers and are supplied as sets of two pieces in three standard lengths: APCRG-2 at 253 mm, APCRG-3 at 353 mm and APCRG-5 at 553 mm. Adjustable PCB Carrier No. 6, with sides of 350 mm length by 210 mm width, requires two sets, and we will confirm the set requirement for Adjustable PCB Carrier No. 5, which has sides of 350 mm length by 105 mm height. The guides have a design that remains flush with the carrier and set the slot width to suit the board, and each carrier has 31 distinct slots holding a maximum of 31 boards. Different board sizes can be handled across two carriers by fitting different guide lengths, which avoids buying a second complete set of carriers for a second product family.
How big is the conductive component organiser, and how does it compare with a standard ACO?
The ACO 25-C cabinet measures 397 mm wide by 238 mm high by 160 mm deep and holds twenty-five drawers, each 155 mm long by 71 mm wide by 35 mm high, made from conductive polystyrene. Compared with a standard ACO 18 at 457 mm high by 424 mm wide by 164 mm deep, the conductive unit is shorter and narrower with more, smaller drawers, which makes it well suited to a rework or repair bench holding many small semiconductors, connectors and passives in modest quantities. The depth of about 160 mm means it occupies only a narrow strip at the back of a 600 mm deep worktop. The wider organiser family and its drawer mixes are set out on our component organisers page.
Do you supply the ESD range outside Mumbai, and what should I send with an enquiry?
Yes. We are an authorised stockist and supplier of Alkon Plastics Pvt. Ltd. products and have been for over thirty years, supplying from Sector 17, Vashi, Navi Mumbai to customers across Maharashtra and Gujarat and onward to Pune, Nashik, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Kolkata and the Delhi NCR region. Send the part numbers you intend to hold at each position with approximate sizes and quantities, the bench or wall dimensions available, which zones sit inside your protected area, and how many identical stations are being equipped. With that we can propose Supra sizes, a Panda combination, an AMS configuration, carrier and guide lengths, and the partitions and accessories that complete the order.
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