EMI Shielding

The conductive elastomers are mostly used in shielding the electronic enclosures to prevent the electromagnetic interference. The entire EMI shielding system is made up with a conductive gasket that is placed between a metal housing and a lid. This set up allows for providing sufficient electrical conductivity across the gasket.

5 Standard Characteristics of Conductive Elastomers

Generally, the conductive elastomers are available with or without the adhesive backing, and there are specific characteristics to serve the unique requirements of the industry. They are:

• High-end mechanical properties which allow it to suit all environments
• Excellent electromagnetic shielding properties
• Wide temperature range
• Made of polymer silicone, fluorosilcone, or EPDM
• The effectiveness of shielding can extend up to 120dB at 10GHz.

Application Areas

When there’s the need to create an EMI shielding along with environmental sealing, the electrically conductive elastomers prove to be the ideal choice. The highly conductive as well as resilient characteristics of the gasketing elements allows it to be used in a broad spectrum of fields – wirelessly transmitting device, commercial electronics, and military devices.

5 Benefits of Using Conductive Elastomers from Leader Tech

• To ensure the galvanic compatibility, a broad combination of materials are available to choose from
• Since the manufacturing process takes place in the USA, it automatically allows for short lead-times, prototyping, and ITAR compliance.
• Leader Tech’s TechSIL Conductive Elastomers are made up of a wide variety of polymers and types of fillers that are available in various colors and hardnesses. Consult factory for options.
• Leader Tech offers elastomers in all possible profiles and shapes, and with different mounting methods. This variety helps meet clients’ specific requirements.
• Only Leader Tech can provide the best low compression forces that are highly achievable at a competitive market prices.

Leader Tech is an engineering-oriented enterprise that has kept service to the global clientele as their focus with application-specific solutions from prototype to high volume productions. Leader Tech is one of a few EMI shielding experts in the USA that approves 11MIL-DTL-83528 materials. You can browse over 2,000 part numbers to find a suitable solution. EMI shielding being their specialty, Leader Tech can be your trusted partner for all shielding solutions. -Leader Tech

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) reduces radio range, drastically decreasing the functionality of Internet of Things products. There are some local and intermittent EMIs that are eventually get addressed, thanks to the Wi-Fi protocols that come complete with automatic retry features. However, the interference coming from external sources are continuous in nature and can drastically reduce the range of a device’s onboard radio. This kind of interference has to be addressed by the right mechanical and PCB design. But what about the interferences that come right from your own product?  Here are some useful tips that will help you minimize the EMI being emitted by your product and improve radio range:

PCB Shielding

Metal shields isolate circuits and prevent interference from reaching the antenna. At the same time, the antenna needs to be present outside the shield for receiving signals. So, shielding the interference sources is a better option than shielding the receiver. The Faraday cage is the best shielding solution available that provides a conductive box without any seams around the shielded circuitry.

However, you must develop metal shields with minimal contact resistance. And, there are several options to achieve this:

• Pick clear chromate instead of aluminum as it provides decent conductivity while resisting corrosion.
• Use an overlapping structure for an increased area and decreased contact resistance.
• Minimize contact resistance through gaskets that rely on screws outside the gasket for more reliable contact and compression force.

Select the Right Clock Frequencies

Certain circuits are never switched off, and the resulting interference affects the receiver’s sensitivity. In a controller board, for example, clock oscillator signal harmonics cannot be controlled easily and lead to interference. There is one clock of 19.2 MHz and another of 25 MHz in a Raspberry Pi design. While the latter falls between the popular non-overlapping Wi-Fi frequencies, the former falls inside the Wi-Fi frequency channels. So, even though the 25 MHz clock doesn’t solve the interference issue entirely, it does help to a certain extent.

Check for EMI Issues

Detecting interference issues becomes easier with a spectrum analyzer. Select one that has greater maximum frequency than the system radio’s highest frequency. When an antenna probe is connected to this analyzer, it can detect design problems and locate interference sources. No wonder this setup is used by the FCC to test for EMI compliance and radio performance issues.

Switching up the components of a PCB can work wonders when it comes to decreasing EMI interference and improving radio range. Sure, it’s better if you detect all the problems as early as possible, but it’s worth noting that following the steps above can result in a design that minimizes EMI emission and prevents interference from affecting other parts of the radio system. To know more about EMI shielding, click here. -LeaderTech

EMI shielding products are designed to protect electronics from the effects of interfering energy waves. But what happens when you use your equipment in an extremely damp environment? In such a situation, your priority should be to make your EMI shielding products corrosion-resistant. Rust or material deterioration will affect device performance due to high-frequency emissions interfering with your electronic gadgets. Here are a few ways to protect your equipment from corrosion:

Consider Surface Treatment

Paint or plate your electronic enclosures. It is essential to prevent corrosion, oxidation, rusting, and tarnishing. Maintain application aesthetics. When it comes to the flange surfaces, they require finishing for maximum protection against corrosion. There are a few factors to consider when employing finishing. You must ensure maximum shielding efficiency through corrosion-resistant and electrically conductive materials. You will require an additional coating for protecting shielded products from being corroded in high humidity surroundings.

Pick out Quality EMI Gaskets

Choose the right gasket material that can cut back the variation in electrochemical potential in relation to the metal structure. It helps to decelerate the corrosion process through a lower galvanic current. Opt for elastomeric gaskets that come with filler particles. The material will ensure both corrosion resistance and EMI shielding when exposed to metal. Use silver-plated copper, pure silver, and silver-plated aluminum fillers to ensure corrosion resistant EMI protection.

Opt for Additional Moisture Sealing

Spray or salt fog acting as an electrolyte may corrode your shielding materials. This is the reason why designers require secondary moisture sealing to get rid of it. To prevent corrosion in aircraft applications, a seal-to-seal design is the preferred choice of EMI shielding engineers. Similar gasket materials are used in every mating flange. Non-conductive sealers are used to stop water from seeping into your shielded products.

Choose the right EMI gasket material for protection against water, fog, or salt spray. The use of conductive coating and an additional moisture seal will keep corrosion under control for improved shielding effectiveness. If you want to learn more about our products, contact us today. -LeaderTechInc.com