RF/EMI Shielding Board Case Study

Stamping or die cutting is probably the most common method to produce radio frequency (RF) or electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding board as it is cost effective and quick turnaround time. However, with new projects at the testing phase or low quantity orders, stamping might not be the best option.

Many factors are needed to be put into consideration when choosing the best value for our customers, and that is when our expertise comes into play. Below is a case study from our recent project for reference: 

Material

Tin plated steel, nickel silver and copper alloy are some of the most commonly used solution for their corrosion protection and solderability. Tin plated steel may be the cheapest among all but it does not work well for higher frequencies range. Nickel silver works well in the mid kHz up to GHz range. Copper alloy cost the most but is the most versatile as it can easily be process with other alloy brass and offer the highest conductivity.

Our customer requested a quote with nickel silver as the material but we were able to offer copper alloy at the same price quote, which not only upgraded the specs of material but also the function of the shielding board. This is due to the years of experience in the electronic industries, we understand that copper is a much more easily sourced material, which have a lower MOQ and is more suitable for projects in the experimental phase.

Manufacturing Process

As mentioned in the introduction, stamping is the most common method to produce shielding board, but there is an initial tooling cost and longer first order lead time, which does not suit our customer’s project timeline. We were dealing with shielding board as small as 0.4” x 0.4” x 0.15”. Therefore, our team suggested laser cutting instead as it is the perfect solution for lower quantity projects and can produce precise cutting. It does not require tooling cost, and the drawing die is already available, which improves lead time greatly. This reduced the overall cost greatly compared to stamping. 

Figure 2 Laser Cutting Process

We were able to outbid other competition in the end by providing a better solution thanks to our team of experts in the electronic components manufacturing industry. ETI is constantly growing as a company, investing in the next generation product research and development into our enterprise to provide the best service possible to our customers.