Form in Place (FIP) Gaskets - Acushield

> General design information

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The main advantages of the form in place process are:

• Materials resistant to oils and fuels available
• Very low material waste
• Complex labyrinthine gaskets may be accurately and efficiently applied
• Rapid prototyping – a seal may be applied to an SLA for testing usually within a few days
• Very short process lead times
• Minimal or no initial tooling costs
• Gasket design changes easily implemented
• Variable height and width gaskets may be produced
• Effective EMI and environmental (or combination) seals can be achieved in restricted space
• A variety of materials may be selected to optimise performance

The form in place gasket material selection will depend on the nature of the application but will generally consist of a silicone elastomer loaded with electrically conductive particles for EMI shielding gaskets and non-conductive RTV silicones for purely environmental seals. Our range of fluorosilicones can provide a high resistance to oils, fuels and other organic contaminants. This makes it better suited for automotive or pharmaceutical applications.

At Shielding Solutions we produce our own form in place gasket material compounds thus giving us the capability to customise a material’s characteristics to suit the specific performance requirements of any application.

The applied form in place gasket material cures and adheres 'in-situ' at room temperature to form a resilient and reusable EMI / environmental seal. The absence of heat makes the process particularly suitable for use with plastic housings or heat sensitive components.

Normally, parts to be processed will be ‘free issued’ by the customer however, at Shielding Solutions we have the expertise and experience to offer a complete service whereby all stages of manufacture of a component may be managed by us to deliver the finished article. 

We recognise the importance of providing ‘best practice’ advice for design and material selection during the all important development phase of new projects. This is supported by our rapid sample/prototyping service and follow on production that is geared to assist customers in meeting critical deadlines.

The main electrically conductive types include:

SA001 Silver plated aluminium filled silicone (good galvanic compatibility with aluminium alloy components)

SA001(Black) Silver plated aluminium filled silicone (good galvanic compatibility with aluminium alloy components pigmented black)

SA002 Silver plated aluminium filled silicone (higher performance silicone RTV base than SA-001)

SC001 Silver plated copper filled silicone (high temperature resistant version)

SC002 Silver plated copper filled silicone (low force deflection version suitable for thin wall mouldings)

SN001 Silver plated nickel filled silicone (good long-term stability / high temperature performance)

SN002 Silver plated nickel filled silicone (higher performance silicone RTV base than SN-001)

NC001 Nickel coated graphite filled silicone (good electrical performance – particularly on surfaces with high contact resistance e.g. stainless steel, die cast zinc)

PS001 Unloaded silicone (good environmental sealing properties up to IP68)
There are many variants of non-conductive materials available

FS001 Fluorosilicone (good environmental sealing properties also being able to protect against oils, fuels and other organic contaminants)

Acushield Form in Place Datasheets

	CEP SC001 is an electrically conductive composite material comprising of silicone elastomer and silver-plated copper particles.
	CEP SC002 is a softer electrically conductive composite material comprising of silicone elastomer and silver-plated copper particles.
	CEP NC001 is an electrically conductive composite material comprising of silicone elastomer and nickel-plated graphite particles.
	CEP SA001 is an electrically conductive composite material comprising of silicone elastomer and silver-plated aluminium particles.
	CEP SA002 is a high performance electrically conductive composite material comprising of silicone elastomer and silver-plated aluminium particles.
	CEP SN001 is an electrically conductive composite material comprising of silicone elastomer and silver-plated nickel particles.
	CEP SN002 is a high performance electrically conductive composite material comprising of silicone elastomer and silver-plated nickel particles.
	SIL PS001 is a room temperature vulcanising (RTV) or curing silicone elastomer. When designed in correctly it provides a reusable environmental seal that is suitable for applications up to IP68 (water immersion).