Homogeneous (vinyl and rubber)
Homogeneous, or solid, mats consist of the same material throughout the entire mat. These mats usually provide good mechanical service. Electrical performance is usually limited because antistat can only provide aboout 10⁹ to 10¹⁰ R_TG.

Three Layer (vinyl)
Three layer mats sandwich a conductive metal or carbon layer (called a scrim) between a top surface of homogeneous vinyl and a layer of foamed vinyl on the back. The conductive scrim layer improves the electrical properties by acting as a fast track to move static charge to ground. Th foam back layer provides a cushion for operators and makes picking up parts easier.

Two Layer (vinyl)

Two Layer (rubber)
The Top layer of rubber is static dissipative and the back layer is conductive. This accomplishes the same electrical goals as the three layer vinyl mat. Combined with tolerance to heat and chemical, the rubber mat is an over achiever. However, these features come with a cost premium.

For further information on the construction of mats or any other information regarding this topic please check back every week for further posts, or view the SCC's Technical Bulletin Posts.