Effective surface-mount EMI/RFI solutions simplify design and manufacture

Harwin has announced a portfolio of surface-mount products that can be used separately or in combination to deliver effective EMI/RFI solutions. The newcomers expand the company's popular EZ-BoardWare range and are designed to take advantage of surface-mount technology, simplifying and speeding manufacture, reducing costs and increasing quality. EZ-BoardWare Shield Cans are simply pressed onto pre-positioned surface mount EZ-Shield Clips forming a Faraday cage around sensitive ICs and electronic circuitry. This saves expensive, labour-intensive secondary assembly and facilitates rework. A range of can sizes and clips are available. Attenuation performance up to 24dB can be achieved, depending on frequency and configuration. The cans have a simple, five-sided box design, which is mechanically robust and more cost-effective than fence and cover types. Used with EZ-BoardWare Shield Can Clips, EZ-Shield Cans resist vibration and remain securely retained on the PCB. As well as simplifying maintenance and adjustment, auto placement of the EZ-BoardWare Clips eliminates post-assembly soldering and de-soldering, significantly reducing PCB damage caused by local overheating on the board. In order to facilitate and expedite design, Harwin now offers these EZ-BoardWare EMI/RFI protection screening products in kit form, enabling designers to rapidly construct PCB cans at minimal cost for development purposes. The low cost kits comprise two 80mm x 60mm x 0.3mm thick Nickel Silver sheets that are pre-scribed on a 5mm grid to allowing easy cutting and forming, enabling the user to produce a shield can of the required dimensions. EZ-Shield Can Clips which hold the cans securely in place are also included, says the company. Product Manager, Paul Gillam, Harwin, said: "Now, a can may be created easily and effectively in minutes, with no special tools or experience required. We believe that the kits will save costs and time during development, and help to enable that an optimised EMI/RFI solution is found." Completing Harwin's EZ-BoardWare EMI/RFI product range, EZ-Spring contacts - also known as grounding / RFI contacts, spring or shield fingers - can be assembled to PCBs and used as grounding or shielding contacts or even for general electrical connection between PCBs or similar. When mounted in a row, the contacts provide an excellent EMI/RFI shielding connection for metal doors or other cabinet enclosures. The contact design ensures positive contact with the mating surface, and is tolerant to both wiping and sliding action. EZ-Spring Contacts are available in 15 different sizes, ranging from 1.7mm to 7.25mm free height (1.2mm to 6.35mm minimum working height) and as multi-directional contacts, suitable for both vertical and horizontal contact actions. "We believe that with the range of EMC solutions that we have available, we can help both the design engineer and the production engineer to realize a better performing, more cost-effective answer to the EMI/RFI challenge," added Gillam.