A cost-effective method of assessing practicability of electromagnetic shielding materials

Abstract

As various international and government institutions have decreed that electronic devices must adhere to electromagnetic safety standards before they enter the market, electromagnetic shielding has become an important aspect of design considerations. Various materials at different price points have specific characteristics that may cause them to become either optimal or ill-fitting for specific applications, however, testing their shielding capability can be difficult without the expensive equipment in testing facilities. In this paper, a handheld electromagnetic (EM) meter was used in a simplified test set up to assess the shielding effectiveness of 6 shielding materials: silver sleeve, steel mesh, conductive ABS, Al tape, and Al metallised film. Silver sleeve, Al tape, and Al metallised film were chosen to shield a robotic medical device based on their shielding capability, cost-effectiveness, and design flexibility. The CISPR 11 radiated emissions test results of the robotic medical device validated the shielding effectiveness of the materials chosen showing that the handheld EM meter was able to assess the materials’ shielding capability.As various international and government institutions have decreed that electronic devices must adhere to electromagnetic safety standards before they enter the market, electromagnetic shielding has become an important aspect of design considerations. Various materials at different price points have specific characteristics that may cause them to become either optimal or ill-fitting for specific applications, however, testing their shielding capability can be difficult without the expensive equipment in testing facilities. In this paper, a handheld electromagnetic (EM) meter was used in a simplified test set up to assess the shielding effectiveness of 6 shielding materials: silver sleeve, steel mesh, conductive ABS, Al tape, and Al metallised film. Silver sleeve, Al tape, and Al metallised film were chosen to shield a robotic medical device based on their shielding capability, cost-effectiveness, and design flexibility. The CISPR 11 radiated emissions test results of the robotic medical device validated th...