EMI Shielding Room

EMI enclosures

EMI Enclosures are the simplest type of shield. They create a Faraday cage effect by surrounding the equipment it protects.

Faraday cage enclosures are bulky and add weight to a device, making them impractical for small devices like phones tablets, and computer components.

Enclosures come in solid and perforated forms, depending on the application. For example, a microwave uses a perforated enclosure so you can see inside, but the holes are too small for the waves to escape.

EMI coatings

EMI Coatings are almost like paint mixed with conductive metals that form a shield. Coatings are very flexible because you only need to brush them onto a surface for them to work. Unlike other shielding options, they also take up no extra space and have no added weight.

EMI filters

EMI filters block high frequencies while allowing low frequencies to pass through. As a rule, they get built into the power sources or switches they protect.

Foil shielding tape

Foil shielding tape uses thin pieces of conductive metal with an adhesive to shield electronics.

Tapes are flexible, easy to use, and form-fitting. You can cut them into any size or shape, and they weigh next to nothing. These qualities make them an excellent choice for EMI protection when working with small electronics.

Conductive fabric shields

Conductive fabric isn't fabric in the traditional sense. It's more like a metallic textile with similar physical properties to that of fabric.

It either uses a fabric substrate like nylon or polyester combined with metal or nothing but metal. Like fabric, it drapes and is easy to work with. You can add an adhesive to help hold it in place or hang it over the equipment you intend to protect.

To increase effectiveness, you can add an elastomer core to the fabric, but even with that addition, it is still among the weakest shield options available. For this reason, you should only use conductive fabrics when you only need moderate protection.