HOW to DESIGN an enclosure

Material choice

The cheapest materials for shielding are zinc plated steel and aluminium. About 90% of the commercial racks and enclosures are today manufactured out of these materials. For that reason we have developed a special material (Amucor Shield) which is very good compatible with both).When the housings are used in corrosion atmosphere it is better to make them out of stainless steel , brass, or aluminium with chromate (aluchroom 1200 is a good coating) .

Corrosion protection is important near to the see (salt) and outside applications. It is important that the gaskets are in a good galvanic scale with the used material. We suggest to keep them in a salty atmosphere within 0.3 Volt and in a wet atmosphere within 0.5 Volt.

Thickness of enclosure material.

Already a 0.1 mm material thickness will be enough for high effective shielding above 1 MHz. So stiffness of the enclosure will dictate the thickness. Only at low frequency like 10 kHz and lower it is important to use magnetic good conductive materials and also thicker material. A military EMP bunker for instance will be constructed out of 6 mm thick material. This for it should shield at 10 kHz about 80 dB. Also a shield at 50 Hz. Transformer rooms ( see www.faradaycages.com / magnetic materials) need special material / thickness.

Gaps in enclosures

Special at frequencies above 5 kHz it is important to prevent gaps in the enclosure. High frequencies as 100 MHz to 40 GHz are very sensitive for already small gaps in the enclosure How higher the frequency how more attention should be paid to prevent holes in the shield. There for it is important to use flexible gaskets. Gasket should be very good conductive but also make contact with low compression force.

Distance of fixings/ hinges/ locks

We have designed gaskets like Ultra Soft Shield. They prevent bending between the fixings or hinges so that a not to heavy design of the enclosure is possible. Also less fixings , thinner materials and cheaper hinges/locks. To give an impression you can indicate the stiffness of your construction on the vertical scale and choose the distance of fixings on the horizontal. On the crossing of both you can find a recommended gasket. Better is to send just your drawing to our specialists. They see every day about 60 different designs and are very keen to give you, free of charge, the best and most economical advise.

You can send your drawing by fax +31(0)78-6149585 by email or just scan it.

Important for us to know is type of material and required series.