EMI silicone sheets vs. rolls is a comparison that gasket fabricators need to make for cost-effective EMI gasket fabrication.
Specialty Silicone Products (SSP) manufactures EMI gasket materials as molded sheets and continuous rolls. Buyers of EMI gaskets are more familiar with sheets, but there are some disadvantages to using EMI sheet materials. For example, EMI molded sheets are time-consuming to produce, may not offer the best material yields, and require new molds or modifications to existing molds to achieve custom dimensions. For oversized gaskets, molded EMI sheeting may require cutting and splicing.
Disadvantages of Molded EMI Silicone Sheets
Compression molding for EMI gasketing can produce only about four sheets per hour. The process is labor-intensive and has long cycle times that result in longer lead times for customers. Plus, because EMI sheet materials are limited by mold size, custom tooling is required for non-standards lengths, widths, or thicknesses. This custom mold making can be expensive and time-consuming. If larger gaskets require the splicing of EMI sheets, this also adds costs and extends project timelines.
Gasket Example with EMI Silicone Sheets
Consider the example of a 30” x 15” EMI gasket. Molded sheets aren’t that long, so splicing is required. That’s not the case with continuous rolls since SSP can make them in widths up to 15” by continuous lengths up to 75’, depending on thickness. This allows you to cut the 30” gasket as one full part vs spliced. The integrity of the gasket, both structurally and in terms of shielding effectiveness, is protected. A splice with the wrong adhesive can cause EMI leaking or environmental leaking.
There are other advantages to roll manufacturing as well. If you need an EMI gasket material that is 12.5” wide, you don’t need a custom mold. SSP can manufacture a continuous roll that is 13” wide instead. We can also produce rolls in off-sizes and help you to optimize material yields along with maximizing cost savings due to less waste in these expensive materials.
EMI Rolls in Custom Widths, Lengths, and Thicknesses
SSP offers EMI shielding materials such as nickel-graphite silicones in continuous rolls. With our fast, efficient roll manufacturing process, we can make the equivalent of 600 15” x 20” sheets in about a week. SSP can also supply you with EMI roll materials that are as thin as .010” or as thick as .125”. Because sheet molds come in standard sizes such as .020” and .032”, you would need a custom mold for an EMI sheet that is .027” thick. That’s not the case with custom roll manufacturing from SSP.
Ask SSP About Continuous Rolls for EMI Gaskets
Did you know that roll manufacturing can reduce lead times for EMI gasket materials by as much as 80%? Here’s another number to consider. For a 21”-long part that was made from 15” x 20” sheets, using continuous rolls cut waste by 85%. If you’re ready to learn how buying rolls can save your company time and money, contact SSP on-line or email Dominic Testo.
