Flexible Solutions

EMI and RFI materials play an important role in preventing interference to devices with electronic components, and as technology continues advancing, the materials used in these applications must also support these advancements.

The Electronics Materials Division at 3M™ introduced three innovative electrically conductive tapes:

• 3M tape 5113SFT-50
• 3M tape 5113DFT-50
• 3M tape 1050TC-25

These additions enhance 3M's already impressive lineup of electrically conductive tapes, introducing notable features and improvements to their current product offerings.

In the fast-paced world, electronics are now integrated into almost every aspect of human life. Solutions ensuring optimal performance and longevity are necessary to meet consumers’ expectations. Many converted electronic components are made using materials that address various challenges faced by electronics applications, including thermal management, electromagnetic interference (EMI), surface protection, and more.

Take a look below to see some of the custom solutions that enhance performance and function in applications with electronic components.

There are many EMI shielding materials to choose from when determining how to effectively control EMI within an electronic device. In this post, we focus on die-cut foil tapes for EMI shielding. Foil tapes with conductive adhesive provide effective shielding properties as the thin foil layer ensures good electrical contact with the component surface. Let's take a look deeper at EMI and why foil tapes may be the best-suited material for your application. 

What is EMI and Why is it Important?

Electromagnetic interference is unwanted “noise” or interference in an electrical path or circuit caused by an outside source. EMI can be caused by natural or man-made sources and can cause electronics to malfunction or to completely stop working. Therefore, EMI shielding and grounding components are important pieces in the design of electronic devices. 

The need for EMI gaskets is growing as more high-frequency digital electronics are introduced into our everyday lives. This includes technologies like 5G infrastructure, IOT (internet of things), and rapid advances in automobile technology and connectivity.

The struggle between the world and electromagnetic interference (EMI) is endless. EMI consistently attempts to sabotage our most critical technologies in the aerospace, mass transit, medical, and military industries.

As medical device designs trend toward including cutting-edge electronics technology and wireless capabilities, EMC, or Electromagnetic Compatability, is a growing factor in device design.  

Particle-filled silicone are elastomeric compounds that combine the advantages of silicone with electrical properties of metals. Conductive silicone materials can include the following filler materials: nickel, graphite, silver, copper, and aluminum.

Particle-filled silicone materials provide shielding against electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI). Silicone in itself boasts a number of tremendous properties, including high performance at extreme temperatures (-50°C - 350°C), durability and abrasion resistance, chemical stability, and electrical insulation. This combination of features makes particle-filled silicone materials ideal for EMI seals and gaskets in a range of applications and industries, including the demanding applications of the military and aerospace industries.

Some designers have concerns about using particle-filled silicone. Silicone has desirable material properties, but loading a high percentage of particle filler into the rubber in an effort to increase conductivity can result in negative tradeoffs. Typically industry professionals worry that particle filled electrically-conductive silicone will exhibit the following negative material features:

• too hard
• too brittle
• too expensive
• have long lead times
• limited by mold size dimensions
• not thin enough for newer, thinner designs