PRECISELY FIT CIRCUIT REQUIREMENTS
Fotofab LLC, a leading producer of precision photoetched sheet metal components, has advanced its capability to deliver custom low-profile EMI/RFI shields. The company can now deliver complex prototype board-level shields in as little as one business day, based on customer CAD files.
By means of Fotofab’s precision etching processes, complex shapes and ventilation patterns can be accurately reproduced without tooling. Both open and lidded shields can be delivered. Fully enclosed shields can be bent metal or formed metal. A wide variety of metals and plating types are available. Properly designed and manufactured board-level shields let air in and greatly attenuate RF. Inadequate shielding can result in unwanted oscillations, signal leakage and even expensive FCC Certification problems.
Low-profile shields fit the requirements of today’s wireless devices, where small physical size is critical. For a standard formed design, Fotofab can produce shields with a minimum internal height of 0.024″(.61mm) with a wall thickness of 0.008″ (0.2mm). With a secondary trimming operation, the company is able to produce RF Shields with a minimum internal height of 0.010″ (0.254mm) and a wall thickness of 0.008″(0.2mm).
Thinner or thicker materials may be specified for any shielding. Below 0.010″(.25mm) is recommended for small or low profile shields. This allows bending with greater precision. Thinner material also takes up less space and has less mass.