Board Level EMI Shielding and Photo Etching: Their Use in Medical Devices

Board level shielding reduces or eliminates unwanted electromagnetic interference (EMI) at the circuit level. The process separates the components and cuts back the radiations without affecting system speed. It is because the shielding material soaks up and reflects any incident emission. Photo-etching, on the contrary, helps to prototype medical equipment fast, and the method is useful in shield fabrication with complex forms and attributes. It is not easy to replicate the features and shapes by other means except high-cost tooling. Irrespective of whether you are using a one piece or multi-compartmental shield products, board-level EMI shielding is made from .020 inches to .007 inches copper, brass, nickel silver, or cold rolled steel. You will get a tin plate finish that can be designed from beryllium copper if you prefer spring qualities. Though regular dies are used in this process, photo etching is the preferred method in the prototyping phase due to its reduced cost.

Benefits of Photo Etching and EMI Shielding in Medical Applications

Photochemical machining or photo etching is beneficial in the production of polymer-film medical parts. Besides reduced tooling costs, the other benefits include burr-free components, enhanced precision, fast manufacturing, and low-cost prototyping. Therefore, if you need polymer-film or thin metal parts for your medical equipment, there is no better option than board level shielding and photo etching. Used in the production of sophisticated medical parts, it also helps designers to prototype components quickly. The commonly used parts that require photochemical machining and shielding are battery current collectors, haptics, and medical screens.

When it comes to photo etching, it produces several variants of a new design for testing concurrently. The tooling costs will be approximately $200 to $300. We recommend that you opt for photochemical machining for prototyping even though stamping tools and expensive traditional dies are essential for the manufacturing process. Replicating equipment design components through photo etching will let engineers choose quality design before they cut steel.

Cost-Effective Process

Besides customized shielding products, you can use a two-piece EMI shielding material together with spring finger type fitment between the fence and cover. This affordable shielding method involves the use of etching and hard tooling. Now, you might be wondering how the process is so budget-friendly. The use of multiple hard-forming tools leads to the production of a distinctive spring finger design, the cost of which is not borne by the customer. Due to the development of chemical etching masks, it is possible to get customized EMI shielding materials at a reduced price. Buyers can ask for a particular design for the fence and cover measurements. Any standard tooling helps to manufacture spring fingers for the right fit and alteration.

Why Use Special Materials

Elgiloy, molybdenum, polyimide, tungsten, nitinol, and titanium include the best properties for use in components for the manufacturing of medical equipment such as heart valves, intraocular lenses, pacemaker batteries, surgical tools, and catheters. The photo etching process is also ideal for beryllium copper, brass, niobium, stainless steel, silver, and spring steels. It creates skull plates, flat springs, fuel cell plates, filters, reticles, fluidic circuit plates, and other flat components for several medical devices or applications. 

Flexibility in Design

The design flexibility of photo-etched shielding materials makes them suitable for use in the medical industry. The mounting pin styles come in many arrangements. The pin locations can be decided according to a predetermined pitch or depending on a customer’s special requirements. EMI shielding material designers incorporate holes and slots without any additional cost for the dissipation of heat. You will find board level shields with several ventilation holes. The entire process is simple, completed in a single step, and is not complicated like the laser technique that involves the integration of every hole independently.

Use of Photo Etched Materials in Medical Applications

Always choose a reliable EMI shielding product supplier who employs advanced technology and modern machines to manufacture photo-etched materials for medical equipment. The materials include:

Nitinol: It is a unique material preferred for its exceptional characteristics. The alloy can return to its original predefined form even when it is deformed. Nitinol is known for its outstanding spring characteristics, exceptional biocompatibility, and high resistivity to corrosion.

Tungsten and Molybdenum: Both the materials are perfect high-temperature resistant and corrosion-proof applications. Tungsten is too dense and 71 percent weightier than lead. The material is used in critical medical applications such as grids. These grids are applied to reduce the effects of interference and precisely set the alignment for stray x-rays in CT scanners and ID tags employed in implanted medical equipment.

Eligiloy: It is typically used when there is the need for a corrosion-resistant material with increased exhaustion potential. Eligiloy is used in vascular stiffeners, medical implants, and closures.

Titanium: It is a lightweight solid material. Titanium is suitable for use in medical applications for its extreme resistivity to corrosion. The material is durable just as 304 stainless steel and used in medical implants including dental implants, reconstructive meshes, cranial closure implants, and anode-cathode battery grids.

Niobium: It is lightweight with refractive properties and used in environments for its outstanding resistance to high-temperature corrosion. Known for its excellent welding properties, Niobium is malleable and can be easily formed.

Polyimide Film: It is known for its outstanding chemical, physical, and electrical properties over varied temperature conditions. The material’s electrical resistivity and chemical properties work efficiently even at very high temperatures.

EMI or radiofrequency interference (RFI) from external sources may break off, intervene, hinder, and even minimize the efficiency of circuit boards and its parts or components. In view of this, there is no denying the significance of protecting your medical equipment from unwanted interference. Choose a budget-friendly option such as a one-piece shield item. Industry experts recommend the use of board level EMI shielding and photo etching to protect high-end medical devices for enhanced safety. Always opt for shielding materials that comply with the Federal Communications Commission standards. Quality shields improve the efficiency of your sophisticated healthcare devices. Besides medical, they are even used in the automobile sector to prevent critical applications from damage.