The TECNA 9322ES is an ESD retractor tool balancer for tools weighing 8.8-13.2 lb, built for use in ESD classified areas - electronics assembly, semiconductor production, and any protected area where a static discharge could damage what is being built.

Cable travel is 6.6 ft (2,000 mm) and capacity is adjustable across 8.8-13.2 lb (4-6 kg). It is a retractor, so the tool returns to its rest position when you let go rather than staying where you leave it.

An ESD protected area, or EPA, is a zone where electrostatic charge is controlled by using only equipment that will not hold or release it. A balancer hanging over the bench is part of that equipment. If it is not ESD safe it becomes a charge source directly above the work.

ESD damage is mostly invisible to the naked eye. An estimated $5 billion a year is lost to it in the electronics industry alone, and much of that damage is latent - the component passes test, then fails in service. Preventing the discharge costs less than replacing what it destroys.

The balancer must be grounded at installation. Connect the ground cable to the cap screw marked with the grounding symbol, to IEC 61340-5-1:2016.

Check the grounding once a shift: inspect the ground cable, check the tightness of the marked screw, and use a voltage tester to confirm continuity between the thimble at the end of the cable and the grounding screw. Clear away dust, and do not let it build up beyond 5 mm.

ESD certified is not the same as ATEX certified. This balancer is conductive and grounded, but it carries no ATEX marking and must not be used where a potentially explosive gas or dust atmosphere may be present. If that is your application, the TECNA 9322AX is the ATEX equivalent at this capacity.

The balancer is intended to be used indoors, at 41 to 140 F (5 to 60 C). It is not for outdoor use, for corrosive chemicals, or for food or medical environments.

Specifications:

• Capacity: 8.8-13.2 lb (4-6 kg), adjustable
• Cable travel: 6.6 ft (2,000 mm)
• Suitable for use in ESD classified areas
• Grounding point to IEC 61340-5-1:2016
• Ambient temperature: 41 to 140 F (5 to 60 C)
• Unit weight: 4.37 lb (1.98 kg)
• Stainless steel cable
• Rugged cast aluminium body
• Adjustable capacity
• Safety suspension
• Safety device against load dropping due to spring breakage
• Adjustable stroke limiting device
• Cable guide in antifriction material
• Inert spring drum assembly
• Polyamide thimble

Extension cables are available if the balancer has to hang higher than the tool needs to reach: 500 mm (7260000164), 1,000 mm (7260000165), 2,500 mm (7260000166), 3,000 mm (7260000167) and 5,000 mm (7260000168), stainless steel, with a 60 mm carabiner.

The structure you hang it from has to be stronger than five times the balancer weight plus the maximum load - and if several balancers share one structure, five times the total of all of them, each on its own independent connection point.

Every production lot is sample-tested: a static test at 1.25 times the maximum rated load held for ten minutes at full stroke, to DIN 15112, and a dynamic test at 1.1 times maximum load run for an hour.

Other capacities in the 9320ES-9323ES series: 9320ES (2.2-5.5 lb), 9321ES (4.4-8.8 lb), 9323ES (13.2-17.6 lb).

Not working in an ESD protected area? The TECNA 9322 is the same retractor without the ESD build, at the same capacity and stroke.

Supported in the USA by Tool Balancers USA.