Case Study: Edge Server Enclosure with EMI Shielding

Edge Server Enclosure with EMI Shielding

Project ID: PRJ-2024-EE7
Industry: Electronics / Edge Computing
Region: Europe
Volume: 1,200 units/year on 3-year contract

Customer Background

European edge computing OEM building rugged outdoor enclosures for 5G base stations and industrial IoT gateways. Needed EMI shielding plus IP54-equivalent housing geometry.

Part Specifications

• Dimensions: Two-part enclosure, 480 × 380 × 220mm
• Material: EMI-shielded ABS substrate (built into the sheet)
• Critical features: EMI shielding effectiveness ≥40dB across 1-6 GHz, sealed cable entries, integrated heat-sink mounting bosses
• Surface finish: Textured matte black exterior, conductive interior

Engineering Approach

EMI shielding on thermoformed parts has 3 paths. We chose the EMI-shielded substrate because:

• vs. conductive paint: better shielding effectiveness, no chipping risk
• vs. discrete EMI gasketing: eliminates assembly labor, no gasket failures over time
• Verified 42dB attenuation at 2.4 GHz and 38dB at 6 GHz on independent lab test

Production Outcomes

• First-article cycle: 5 weeks
• Production yield: 98.2% first-pass
• Tooling cost: $9,200 (block aluminum, both halves)
• Per-piece price: €31 at 1,200/year
• Compliance documentation: RoHS, REACH, CE EMC test reports passed through

Why This Project Worked

Customer’s electronics design team and our engineering team joint-DFM’d the heat-sink mounting and the cable entry geometry. Saved one full tooling iteration. NDA in place from day 1, drawings handled in our isolated ERP.

Capabilities Demonstrated

• EMI-shielded substrate forming (specialty material)
• IP54-grade housing geometry
• RoHS/REACH/CE compliance documentation pass-through
• Joint DFM with customer electronics team
• EMI shielding effectiveness ≥40dB verified

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