by Sara McCaslin, PhD Sara McCaslin, PhD No Comments

Canted Coil Springs for EMI/RF Shielding

Canted coil springs are an effective, reliable solution for some of the toughest EMI/RF shielding challenges. But what makes them different from other options, like wire mesh over polymer and finger springs?

 

What Are Canted Coil Springs?

Sensitive electronics need protection against EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) , RF (Radio Frequency), and crosstalk, and they need to avoid interfering with other electronics. Among the EMI/RF shields on the market are canted coil springs. These springs get their name from the angle at which the individual coils are set. This allows them to achieve a consistent, highly predictable force once installed, which makes them ideal for latching, locking, and holding as well as spring-energized seals. As just mentioned, they also provide highly reliable EMI/RF shielding made possible in part because each coil serves as a contact point for conduction or grounding. 

Where Canted Coil Springs Are Used for EMI/RF Shielding

Canted coil springs are used in a variety of applications where they provide shielding for data and signal transfer, including 

  • Antenna bases
  • Power management systems
  • Electronic enclosures
  • Waveguide flanges
  • Cabling
  • Connect/disconnect assemblies
  • Coaxial and electrical connectors

Whenever EMI/RF shielding is involved, there are critical national and international standards that must be complied with. These standards come from several different organizations, including the following:

  • CISPR (Comité International Spécial des Perturbations Radio), dealing with emission and immunity as well as test methods and the equipment used for testing
  • IEC 61000 (International Electrotechnical Commission) focusing on EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility)
  • ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards specifically for automotive EMC concerns and covers road vehicles, earthmoving equipment, and forestry and agricultural machines
  • SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) EMC Standards Committee
  • EN (European Norm) standards concerning unwanted electrical emissions and immunity to unwanted electrical emissions
  • FCC Part 15 (Federal Communications Commission) for unlicensed radio-frequency transmissions
  • MIL-STD 461, 464, and 469 (Military Standard)

For a product to be sold on either the national or international market, it must be in compliance with relevant standards. To learn more about canted coils, click this link to read the most common questions about canted coil springs.

 

Benefits of Canted Coil Springs for EMI/RF Shielding

There are several advantages to using canted coil springs for EMI/EF shielding, starting with their ability to serve two or more different purposes in a single design. 

Multipurpose Mechanical and Electrical Solution

Canted coil springs can be used for multiple purposes in a single application: they also perform latching, holding, and locking functions. They do so with highly predictable forces and almost no compression set. When they are designed correctly, these springs can provide precise insertion and breakaway forces. Canted coil springs perform these mechanical functions without the use of tools and can significantly simplify a design when used as a multipurpose solution (i.e., latching and EMI shielding).

Lightweight and Flexible

Canted coil springs are extremely lightweight and compact, which can make them an excellent option for SWaP (Size, Weight, and Power) constrained applications. Their flexibility allows them to be used with many geometries other than circular that would be otherwise challenging to shield. 

Geometric Options

Standard spring wire is available in wire diameters from 0.25 mm (0.010 inches) to 1.50 mm (0.059 inches). Standard coil widths range from 1.5 mm (0.039 inches) to 15 mm (0.591 inches). However, there are custom options available for wire diameter and coil width. The angle at which the coils are oriented can also be specified. Finally, the coil pitch can be varied, and is usually quite dense for EMI/RF applications.

Material and Plating Options

There are several different material and plating combinations available for canted coil springs. The most commonly used spring materials include …

  • Stainless steel
  • Beryllium copper
  • Zirconium copper
  • Inconel
  • Hastelloy
  • Platinum iridium.

These materials can be combined with platings such as nickel, silver, gold, and tin. Platings are especially useful when the springs may be exposed to corrosive environmental conditions.

Impedance Tuning

While canted coil springs already work across a very broad spectrum of EMI interference, they can also be tuned to very specific impedance specifications. This can aid not only in device performance but in achieving compatibility with the appropriate EMC/RF standards.

Reliability

Because canted coil springs can provide a near-constant force, they will remain in contact with surfaces extremely well. This is true even when subject to vibration, shock, and impact loads as well as dimensional changes due to temperature fluctuations. Canted coil springs do an excellent job of compensating for hardware variations, surface irregularities, and angular misalignment, leading to highly reliable performance even in difficult operating conditions.

Conclusion

If you are looking for an economical, effective, and reliable EMI/RF shielding solution, consider the use of canted coil springs. And the experts here at Advanced EMC can help you choose the right spring options, tune it to the impedance you need, and ensure that your design will comply with the right standards. Contact us today to learn more about our Flex-Force canted coil springs.

Most Common Questions about Canted Coil Springs } Advanced EMC Technologies
by Sara McCaslin, PhD Sara McCaslin, PhD No Comments

Most Common Questions about Canted Coil Springs

Here are answers to seven of the most common questions asked about canted coil springs.

Where Are Canted Coil Springs Used?

Canted coil springs can be used in many different ways, but many are not aware of exactly how versatile they are. In the medical industry, they are used to shield equipment from crosstalk that could compromise the integrity of data. The automotive industry depends on canted coil springs to achieve solid mechanical and electrical connections while reducing weight and minimizing the complexity of assemblies. 

In the oil and gas industry, they are used to achieve both electrical and mechanical connections in the rugged environment of downhole tools. Canted coil springs protect sensitive equipment from lightning strikes in the aerospace industry. And those are just a few examples of how they can be used.

What is a Canted Coil Spring?

Traditional springs have all the coils perpendicular to their longitudinal axis. Canted coil springs, on the other hand, have the individual coils parallel to each other and at an angle to the longitudinal axis. Because of how the coils are oriented, these springs can effectively serve a wide range of uses that traditional springs cannot.

Are There Any Other Names for a Canted Coil Spring?

Yes, as a matter of face there are. Canted coil springs are also called slant coil springs and cant coil springs, both in reference to the angle (or cant) at which the coils are parallel to each other.

What Makes a Canted Coil Spring Special?

Because of the cant of the coils, these springs have a flat load curve when compressed–which is rather unusual for a spring. This means that the load generated as these springs are compressed is predictable through their wide deflection range. 

What Can Canted Coil Springs be Used For?

Canted coil springs have four specific areas of application in which they excel: energizers for spring-energized seals, mechanical connectors, multi-point electrical connectors, and EMI/RF shielding.

Spring-Energized Seals

Canted coil springs are one of the options when specifying a spring-energized seal. Spring-energized seals provide outstanding performance in spite of issues such as uneven mating surface,  hardware gaps, runout, eccentricity, out of roundness, and seal lip wear. 

In that context of spring-energized seals, canted coil springs generate a flat load curve that in turn keeps friction at a predictable, constant level. This is extremely important in sealing applications for which friction and torque are critical to the functionality of a seal. In addition, canted coils do not experience compression set. Canted coil spring energizers work best when there are moderate to high speeds involved and are ideal for situations where friction needs to be highly controlled.

Mechanical Connectors

First, canted coil springs work well for latching, or fastening two parts together so they can still be disconnected when needed. They also work extremely well at locking, where two parts are permanently “locked” together. Holding is another task for which canted coil springs excel: two parts can be aligned and retained, but with sliding possible. Sliding is highly controlled by spring force generated when the canted coil spring is deformed.

In this type of application, canted coil springs can be fine tuned to achieve highly specific insertion and removal forces. This is made possible by the nearly constant spring force that these springs generate over their deformation range.

EMI/RF Shielding

One of the more interesting applications of canted coil springs is their ability to provide EMI/RF shielding.  Their electrical properties can be adjusted to meet specific impedance requirements to achieve optimal shielding for certain ranges of interference, including both conductive and radiated. And they work extremely well at shielding from crosstalk.

These springs can easily adapt to even the most uneven and irregular shapes, allowing them to provide a consistent level of shielding, and can be used with connect/disconnect assemblies, waveguide flanges, rectangular electronics enclosures, and both radial and coax connectors.

Multi-point Electrical Conductors

Canted coil springs can also serve as multi-point electrical conductors. Because surface area provided by the canted coils, they provide a cooler operating temperature which can be critical in certain designs, including those where space is highly limited. Canted coil springs can serve as both conductors and grounds, in both static and dynamic applications. Their multi-point contact system means they can keep electrical contact even in extremely harsh conditions, including those where vibration and shock are common. 

What Kind of Materials Are Canted Coil Springs Available In?

The three most common materials for canted coil springs are:

  • Hastelloy
  • Inconel
  • Elgiloy
  • 300 Series Stainless Steel (e.g., 316, 316L, 302)
  • Copper alloys

In addition, they can be nickel, silver, or gold plated if needed. 

If there is going to be extremely high temperatures and/or exposure to corrosive media, Elgiloy is typically recommended. For shielding or use as a multi-point conductor, stainless steel and copper alloys work extremely well.

What Kind of Options Are Available for Canted Coil Springs?

The basic options for canted coil springs outside of those related to materials are …

  • Wire diameter
  • Coil size (width and height) 
  • Coil cant angle 
  • Number of independent coils
  • Inner and outer diameter of the spring

By adjusting these parameters and material selection, specific performance goals can be achieved.

Conclusion

Canted coil springs are useful in so many different applications, and their performance is fully proven in the field. Whether you need highly reliable spring-energized seals for use in vacuum conditions, locking components for orthopedic implants, a way to protect rectangular electronics enclosure from a specific range of interference, or a multipoint conductor that also serves as a latching connector, canted coil springs are an excellent option.

And remember that Advanced EMC offers FlexForceTM canted coil springs. Our engineers can work with you to find the right combination of characteristics and properties to meet the needs of your application. Contact us today!