Electromagnetic shielding has become a must-consider manufacturing aspect for modern vehicles, particularly those with self-driving functionality. Electromagnetic interference or EMI shields aim to ensure electromagnetic immunity and protect electronic equipment in the vehicle from interference.
Without shielding, electric vehicles and smart cars are more likely to incur malfunction of the components and experience equipment errors or malfunctioning, posing a significant danger to the vehicle’s occupants and others on the road. Here’s what you should know about EMI shielding and its importance in manufacturing smart cars.
Why is EMI Shielding Important in Vehicles?
EMI automotive shielding is any method used to protect sensitive devices from intercepting external electromagnetic signals or that prevents stronger signals from leaking and affecting surrounding electronics. Manufacturers achieve this by forming a Faraday Cage around the sensitive components. A complete Faraday Cage prohibits high-frequency signals from “leaking” out of the enclosure and, if designed correctly, can prevent outside signals from intruding onto the critical components.
Electronic devices that emit and receive signals are present in all modern vehicles. With so many signals being emitted, the chance of an errant electromagnetic signal being intercepted by the wrong device is significant. EVs and smart cars are particularly susceptible to EMI due to the magnetic fields produced by the cables connecting the battery and engine and the battery and charger. Whether it’s the GPS, computer diagnostics, or the radio, they are all susceptible to EMI. Errant signals can cause safety features to malfunction and components to break down, putting passengers at risk of bodily injury or worse. The following components are commonly exposed to EMI:
- Battery chargers
- Power converters and electric motors
- Traction batteries
- Interconnectors
- DC motors
- Engine control modules or ECM
- Collision avoidance radar
- Navigation system
EMI shielding gaskets are extremely effective ways to economically complete a cost-effective Faraday Cage to mitigate signal interference. EMI auto shields deploy a protective enclosure around the vehicle’s cables and circuits to reduce interference. Despite the effectiveness of shielding in protecting electronic devices in a smart vehicle, it doesn’t stop all forms of interference. However, this still offers the protection needed to keep integral electronic equipment running smoothly.
EMI Shielding for the Automotive Industry
There are different options when it comes to EMI shielding gaskets. Some common EMI shielding gasket materials include:
Silicone
Silicone is a common EMI shielding material for the automotive industry. Users can choose various options, such as silver in silicone, carbon-filled silicone, silver-plated copper, and nickel-graphite silicone. Nickel-graphite gaskets are a popular EMI material due to their low gasket costs, high shielding performance, and electrical properties, which often outperform the other options.
EPDM
Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) comes in various forms, including silver in EPDM, silver-copper EPDM, Nickel-graphite EPDM, dense EPDM, and Silver-nickel EPDM, among others. Besides its excellent electrical resistivity, this material offers superb water and weather resistance, stability in high or low temperatures, resistance to tearing, and high versatility and flexibility.
Fluorosilicone
Fluorosilicone is also used in different forms, including silver in Fluorosilicone, silver-copper, Silver-aluminum, carbon, silver-nickel, and other options. This material offers stability over a wide range of temperatures, good compression, and excellent resilience in ultraviolet light, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and other conditions to which your smart vehicle might be exposed.
EMI Shielding Products from Vanguard Products
The steady growth of smart vehicle manufacturing furthers the push for sustainability prevalent in all industries at the moment. At the same time, they come with the risk of EMI, which can become catastrophic if not well managed. At Vanguard Products, we guarantee the best EMI shielding components for manufacturing smart vehicles and other industrial applications. Specifically, we specialize in:
- EMI Shielding Gaskets
- Fabricated EMI/RFI Shielding Products
- Milspec M83528 EMI/RFI Shielding Gaskets
- Thermally Integrated EMI Shielding Gaskets
Reach out to us today and request a quote for shielding products for your EV or smart vehicle.
Comments are closed