ACT transforms enclosures from metal to plastic

The weight and cost of these enclosures needed to be reduced, without compromising the strength of the original designs.

The enhanced enclosures also needed to comply with EMC, RoHS, WEEE and REACH regulations.

Two different coatings were specified across the Edwards range of enclosures: Applicoat EC225 silver-plated copper loaded paint was applied to a nominal thickness of 25 microns to achieve a sheet resistance of <0.1ohms per square, and Applicoat ES210 silver-loaded paint was applied to a nominal thickness of 10 microns to achieve a sheet resistance of <0.05ohms per square.

In total, 18 different enclosures have been transferred from metal to plastic.

Edwards test results have shown that Applicoat ES210 performs as good as, and in some cases better than, a standard metal enclosure.

Edwards has achieved its objective of recouping the initial capital investment within a two-year period and has reduced its inventory significantly through the Kanban supply of fully shielded mouldings by Nordell.

In addition to the application of EMI shielding coatings, ACT also offers a wide range of decorative and functional coatings, servicing markets including defence, medical, automotive and white goods.