We all know a great-looking product doesn't mean squat if its internal components fail. One of the culprits behind these failures is electromagnetic interference, or EMI (also known as radio frequency interference or "RFI"). Because we're surrounded by more and more products with complex internal circuitry, EMI is a bigger concern today than it was twenty or even ten years ago.
But there is a solution: EMI shielding.
Main Article: Get the 411 on EMI Shielding
What is EMI Shielding?
EMI shielding protects the electronic components inside your custom thermoformed enclosures from electromagnetic interference.
What's ThermoFab's Process for EMI Shielding?
We have two approaches:
Application of Electrodag 440
Our certified technique involves applying Electrodag 440, a conductive, stable nickel coating (in the image above, the green is the nickel coating). We always perform EMI shielding in-house to ensure protection of your sensitive components and to reduce time to market (TTM).
EMI Gasketing
EMI gasketing gives additional levels of protection when required. Here are three types:
- Knitted Wire Mesh EMI/RFI Shielding Tape is a double-layered strip of knitted wire mesh. It provides effective electromagnetic and radio frequency interference (EMI/RFI) shielding for electrical and electronic cable assemblies.
- Metallized Fabric Shielding Gasketing is a combination of a metallized, woven nylon cover over a foam core. It provides superior EMI/RFI shielding.
- Wire Mesh Over Elastomer Core Gasketing provides effective EMI/RFI shielding and environmental protection. With two layers of mesh over an elastomer, the elastomer under pressure protrudes through the mesh to give sealing protection.
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ThermoFab in Action:
Bringing a New Product to Market
This past spring, ThermoFab completed the delivery of Spiral Biotech's Autoplate® Spiral Plating System. ThermoFab designed and manufactured a custom plastic enclosure that met sales requirements for an updated look and feel while reducing service efforts. Spiral Biotech, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Advanced Instruments (AI), Inc., which is a leader in a variety of laboratory disciplines in industries ranging from clinical chemistry to microbiology to food and dairy.
After extensive market research, Advanced Instruments developed a number of enhancements to its spiral plating technology. One of the objectives for this redesign was to move away from the metal housing used for previous versions and improve the accessibility of the instrument's components.
ThermoFab's reputation for quality, creativity, and timely turnaround was well known within Advanced Instruments. "The ThermoFab team was great at staying on top of things," stated Dave Valois, AI Senior Buyer. "The quality of their thermoforming was great, delivery went like clockwork, and they offered flexibility on order volumes."
"Our goal was to develop an enclosure that represented the company's brand while making access to the inner components easier for the service reps," said Tom King, Jr., president of ThermoFab. "We are able to do this easily because of our extensive knowledge of plastics, thermoforming, and enclosure design."
EMI shielding, a service ThermoFab provides in-house, was also used to protect the product's internal electronic components.
At the American Society of Microbiology Show in May, the new instrument received excellent reviews, and, according to National Sales Manager Anthony Pappas, "The new design met our goal of having the instrument standout in a crowd. We had positive responses from clients and enthusiasm from our sales team."
Thanks to hard work, attention to detail, and customer focus, ThermoFab has become the supplier of choice for Advanced Instruments.
Read more of our thermoforming case studies here.