Conductive Elastomers / Conductive Gasket Materials

Stockwell Elastomerics uses a variety of electrically conductive elastomers and electrically conductive silicone gasket materials to manufacture custom conductive gaskets and ESD pads. Normally, elastomers and silicones are electrically insulating; however, fillers can be added to impart electrical conductivity, dissipate static, and provide EMI/RFI shielding. Stockwell Elastomerics sources electrically conductive compounds from trusted suppliers and offers various choices of gasket fabrication methods.

ESD vs. EMI in Conductive Gaskets & Pads

Protection against electrostatic discharge (ESD) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) / radio frequency interference (RFI) is critical for electronic devices and equipment. ESD can damage or destroy sensitive electronics or cause fires or explosions in flammable environments. EMI/RFI can disrupt or degrade electronic communications with consequences that aren’t limited to device or equipment failure. Because every EMI/RFI problem starts in a circuit, electrical equipment such as circuit breakers are also at risk.

ESD and EMI/RFI are both transient phenomena, but they’re not the same – and neither are the solutions to these distinct challenges. ESD pads dissipate an electrical charge so that it’s removed safely from a circuit. EMI/RFI shielding gaskets protect circuits from receiving or distribhttps://www.stockwell.com/conductive-gaskets-pads/uting unwanted signals. ESD pads and EMI shielding both provide electrical conductivity, but the amount of conductivity that’s needed is application dependent. Given these differences, asking for a “conductive gasket” is not enough. ESD and EMI/RFI materials are different, and there are various types of materials in each category.

Conductive Elastomers and ESD/EMI Gasket Materials

Stockwell Elastomerics offers numerous choices of electrically conductive elastomers and electrically conductive silicone gasket materials for ESD pads and EMI/RFI gaskets. Conductive elastomer materials used regularly by Stockwell Elastomerics include:

• Electrically conductive silicones for EMI shielding gaskets and environmental sealing
• Condux Plus™ – electrically conductive foam for shielding, grounding and sealing
• ESD protection conductive gasket materials – silicone sponge, solid, or foam

ESD protection products include solid silicone, silicone with composite conductive fabric layers and several other solutions. EMI/RFI materials usually aren’t liquid silicone based. Instead, EMI/RFI gasketing is gum-based for compression molding or calendar-cured for sheet goods. Stockwell Elastomerics provides compression molding services as well as die cutting and waterjet cutting. Certain grades of these materials can meet stringent shielding requirements such as MIL-DTL-83528. For applications more sensitive to compressive forces required on the gasket, Stockwell Elastomerics can provide combination EMI gaskets. These are made from industrial grade silicone with
Flectron® film or Monel wire wrapped on the perimeter.

Electrically Conductive Silicone for EMI Shielding and Environmental Sealing

Electrically conductive silicone gasket materials are used to attenuate EMI and RFI emissions from electronic devices. Stockwell Elastomerics fabricates custom electrically conductive gaskets/EMI shielding gaskets that are most commonly applied to enclosure covers, doors and penetrations to prevent or restrict electromagnetic emission that can interfere with other electronic components. In addition to managing EMI / RFI emissions, electrically conductive silicone rubber gaskets are used for environmental sealing to seal out water and dust.

See more about electrically conductive silicone rubber for EMI shielding.

ESD Protection Conductive Materials

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) management is very important in many applications, where an unwanted static discharge can damage sensitive electronics. And static discharge where flammables are present can be disastrous. Stockwell Elastomerics offers conductive gasket material solutions for managing ESD. These include:

• T62 Conductive Silicone Sponge Gaskets and Pads
• Conductive Silicone
• Conpads™ Conductive Grounding Pads
• Custom Conductive Gaskets and Pads for ESD
• Conductive Silicone Sealant
• Conductive Neoprene
• Conductive Sponge Sheet for ESD Protection

See more about ESD protection conductive gasket materials.

Flectron® is a registered trademark of Laird Technologies.