Introducing our premium custom RF and microwave enclosures, designed to deliver superior electromagnetic isolation and unmatched RF performance. We use this technology in all of our own products which is how we achieve world class RF performance.
Meticulously machined and plated with high-loss tangent nickel, our enclosures provide exceptional suppression of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and resonance. The internal surfaces are precision-roughened to optimize isolation, while the external surfaces remain sleek and professional. Enhanced with our industry-leading isolation gasket and advanced microwave absorber, each enclosure offers best-in-class, repeatable shielding effectiveness. We are also able to add thermal pad where required for easy assembly in production.
Whether you need high-volume production or a single prototype, our scalable solutions are crafted to meet the rigorous standards of RF-sensitive applications over the frequency range 10MHz to 100GHz.
We begin with a review of the customer requirements, in order to fully understand the shielding requirements. We are able to conduct RF board reviews if required. We can advise on wall thicknesses, tolerances and help you design the enclosure for maximum impact. Alternatively we can design the enclosure for you and provide full fit checking for your design. We provide the design files in either Solidworks or STEP file.
We engage on a new product by proposing a sample run, whereby the absorber thicknesses and gasket placement can be validated and optimised if required. This ensures a production run of greater numbers goes as smoothly as possible.
It is desirable to fill pockets with absorber that have either loss or gain. Parasitic effects occur around the layout of components where signals leak across causing an unflat through response where the gain or loss is significant. This is made worse when a metal lid is placed above the circuit area. Absorber dampens these parasitically coupled fields resulting in a more ideal response.
Our RF and microwave enclosures are engineered to deliver unmatched performance in high-frequency applications. By utilizing ultra-high loss nickel plating on roughened internal surfaces, we achieve exceptional isolation and minimize internal coupling, ensuring signal integrity across all channels.
The combination of our Form-in-Place isolation gaskets and advanced microwave absorber materials provides industry-leading EMI suppression, with isolation levels reaching 80 to 120 dB.
Our absorber technology is designed for ultra-wideband performance and is chemically bonded for seamless coverage, eliminating gaps and maximizing cavity resonance suppression. This high-performance shielding solution ensures repeatable, reliable RF performance, even in demanding environments, making it ideal for applications that require precision and robust electromagnetic isolation.
We are able to effectively screen connectors by printing shielding gasket on walls and curved surfaces.
A test fixture was made consisting of a coupled line in a small cavity (20mm). A measurement was made with and without absorber. It can be seen that cavity resonance suppression is achieved within small cavities showing the effectiveness of the material.
Gasket Guidelines
To prevent interference between sensitive circuits, it’s recommended to partition areas within the enclosure and encircle each with a grounded ring. This ground ring should be via-stamped to inhibit internal propagation modes, with a minimum width of 0.25 mm on each side beyond the Form-In-Place (FIP) dispensing bead. Use compression stops to limit gasket compression, preventing over-squashing. Compression stops should be positioned near screw fixing holes, which should be distributed evenly across the PCB. Gasket beads can range from 0.8 mm to 3 mm in diameter, with the compression stops set to achieve approximately 30% compression. For RF traces on the top layer that need to exit the cavity, we can add “mouse holes” in the gasket to avoid shorting. Additionally, the exposed ground ring should be free of solder resist to ensure complete grounding.
Absorber Guidelines
For optimal absorber performance, design cavities to allow unobstructed coverage, maintaining a minimum clearance of 0.2mm from circuits. All interfaces should be smooth and free from irregularities to support efficient gasket application and prevent gaps. We can tailor the absorber thickness as required, typically advising it to be dispensed approximately 0.3 mm from the tallest component within each cavity. The thicker the absorber layer the lower in frequency it works, so generally we advise go for the thickest layer that the design facilitates. Just a small amount in contact with the cavity lid is generally enough to supress most problems.
Following these guidelines will help users maximize the effectiveness of our gaskets and absorbers, resulting in consistent, high-quality shielding for RF and microwave applications.
We can offer a range of materials for the FIP gasket. Our most common is a Nickel coated graphite with a trace of silver.
EECL-NC001 – Nickel coated graphite filled silicone (good electrical performance – particularly on surfaces with high contact resistance e.g. stainless steel, die cast zinc). This is our standard and recommended process. The properties are below, get in touch for the properties of the other materials.
However, the full range is shown:
EECL-SA001 – Silver plated aluminium filled silicone (good galvanic compatibility with aluminium alloy components).
EECL-SA001 – (Black) Silver plated aluminium filled silicone (good galvanic compatibility with aluminium alloy components.
EECL-SA002 – Silver plated aluminium filled silicone (higher performance silicone RTV base than SA-001).
EECL-SC001 – Silver plated copper filled silicone (high temperature resistant version).
EECL-SC002 – Silver plated copper filled silicone (low force deflection version suitable for thin wall mouldings).
EECL-SN001 – Silver plated nickel filled silicone (good long-term stability / high temperature performance).
EECL-SN002 – Silver plated nickel filled silicone (higher performance silicone RTV base than SN-001).
