A question we occasionally get is how one might adhere, fasten, or otherwise hold down an anti-static/ESD grounding mat to their workbench without compromising the mat’s dissipative properties. Is this a thing?
Under general typical usage, you shouldn’t need to adhere a workmat to your bench, and indeed this can make replacing a worn-out or damaged mat much more tedious and time-consuming. These products generally have nonslip backings to them or are inherently nonslip enough to not shift. If you’re having trouble getting a mat to sit still, the best solution is simply to weight it down with heavier objects such as tools, lab equipment, or commemorative non-conductive ceramic Employee of the Month coffee mugs (preferably without coffee in them). You can also tape down the corners of the mat without harming its dissipative properties
If, however, you are in a position where you need to fix the mat firmly in place with something more certain than weights or a bit of tape, there are two options available. One is to cut holes in the mat and bolt it onto your bench. Some basic quarter-inch hex bolts and washers won’t interfere with the mat’s function and will ensure it’s not going anywhere, as well as ensuring the bolts can be removed if the mat needs replacing. This does involve modifying the mat and workbench, however, and only really works if the workbench is made of wood.
If any such modifications are not in the cards, you can also try conductive adhesive. This will work regardless of bench material and does not require modification to mat or bench, but if the mat needs replacing it will take quite a bit of time with a scraper and some solvents. If you go this route, I recommend using a minimum of adhesive - in part because conductive adhesive can be quite pricy, and in part because glueing a workmat to the bench is not generally advised. Lay down the minimum amount of adhesive required to overcome whatever issue is causing your mat to need to be glued down, along the edges of the mat. I would start with a few dots of adhesive in the corners of the mat and only go beyond this if the mat has the pernicious poor grace to move around on you even after being glued down.