Introducing CHO-SEAL® 1299: A Low-Durometer EMI Shielding Elastomer Gasket

·       Low compression force

·       High shielding effectiveness

·       Excellent corrosion resistance on aluminum

·       Resistance to harsh chemicals due to fluorosilicone

·       Available in molded or sheet format

·       Higher temperature limit than most conductive fluorosilicones

·       Optional electrically conductive, pressure-sensitive acrylic adhesive (PSA)

Conductive elastomers are comprised of a silicone-based elastomer material that is filled with a metal particle. That means that the metal particle actually impacts some of the physical properties while giving the benefit of the electrical properties, in this case EMI shielding and electrical grounding. For their many benefits, conductive elastomers can have a high hardness, and in some situations that can create some challenges. For instance, if they are used in housing and enclosures between two surfaces, there may not be enough force or enough of a tight bolt spacing to compress the gasket without causing the cover to bow.

To address this challenge, we’ve taken the same silver-plated aluminum particles that we use in CHO-SEAL® 1298 and developed the softer CHO-SEAL® 1299. CHO-SEAL® 1298 material is popular because it has excellent shielding performance with great corrosion resistance, and CHO-SEAL® 1299 maintains these benefits while reducing the hardness from 70 to 45 Shore A. 

CHO-SEAL® 1299 is currently available in molded formats, including O-rings, custom molded shapes, and sheet stock for cut gaskets, and will soon be available in extruded profiles. For use in both military and commercial applications, sheet stock can be steel rule die-cut, X-Y knife cut or water jet cut (no grit) to make precision parts in large quantities.

Because silver aluminum tends to be a high-performance material, CHO-SEAL® 1299 works well in defense aerospace applications or other applications that require this level of performance. Typical applications that must be well-shielded from high potential EMI interference include:

·       Man portable electronics

·       Military communication modules

·       Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones

·       Naval and shipboard electronics

·       Robotics equipment

One very common use case is connector interface seals. In smaller connectors it can be especially difficult to compress a conductive elastomer material because you need a lot of force to compress it even a small amount, so having a softer material than the legacy CHO-SEAL® 1298 is a useful solution. 

Because CHO-SEAL® 1298 and 1299 are comprised of a flurosilicone-based material, they stand up very well to harsh cleaners, chemicals and environments. This makes it an excellent fit for aerospace defense applications which commonly use those types of cleaners and encounter challenging environmental conditions such as salt fog. In addition, while the conductive fillers used in some conductive elastomers would be conducive to galvanic corrosion, CHO-SEAL® 1298 & 1299 have higher performance due to the use of passivated silver coated aluminum particles.

For the performance of CHO-SEAL® 1298 in a softer material, explore CHO-SEAL® 1299. Request a free sample today. 

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