Today, these products are widely used in automotive systems. As demand emerges for wider frequency coverage, however, automotive designers will do well to consult with their EMI shielding product supplier to determine whether existing products will perform adequately.
Parker Chomerics maintains an intensive research and development programme aimed at producing new filler materials for electrically conductive elastomer products such as EMI gaskets. An important goal for this research programme is to produce elastomer EMI gaskets that can cover the broader frequency range of interest in autonomous vehicles, while maintaining the desirable mechanical characteristics of existing CHO-SEAL products such as high abrasion resistance, high chemical resistance, and high temperature rating.
New opportunities for weight saving
The development of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles is leading to a huge increase in the number of electronics modules per vehicle. This increases the scope for car makers to reduce weight by replacing conventional metal (aluminium or steel) housings with lighter conductive plastic housings. While the weight saving on each module might appear small, when multiplied across the 100 or more electronics modules which may be found in new car designs, the total weight saving becomes valuable.