Traditionally Seals/Gaskets and Shielding materials had been viewed as separate disciplines carried out by separate companies to separate industry sectors and where on the odd occasion the two products were used on the same equipment they were sourced and supplied separately.

When the EC announced its new regulations governing EMC in more commercial industries it suddenly meant companies who had never needed to worry about shielding their products had to combine both sealing and shielding. When OEMs went to their normal seal suppliers for assistance with the new shielding regulations they found very little in the way of help or potential product and so they were forced to approach the established shielding companies. The shielding companies had traditionally supplied the less cost conscious industries like Defence, where the product rather than the cost was the most important criteria. When a potential marketplace is created or expanded it is usual for existing companies to expand their range to meet demand and thus increase sales and hence increase profitability but in this case this didn't happen. The traditional seal companies decided that they didn't have the knowledge of the applications, products and technology needed to be able to compete with the established shielding companies. The Shielding companies were already selling a high value, high profit product with a small number of friendly competitors and so didn't feel the need to expand into the high volume low value seal /gasket market.

RFI Seals & Gaskets Ltd was formed in 1996 to bridge the gap between the traditional seal and gasket manufacturer who supplied only non shielding materials and the shielding manufacturers who only supplied shielded materials. What RFI Seals & Gaskets Ltd has done is to take people from both industries and applied that knowledge to enable them too not just manufacture and supply the traditional product ranges from both industries under one roof but to take that joint knowledge to develop new products. These new products are designed to satisfy multiple criteria such as combined high shielding and high IP levels but at far more commercial costs. The savings we made for a telecommunications cabinet manufacturer illustrate a practical example of what this new philosophy can achieve. It is true that our biggest savings have been on shielding applications but because some of these materials are made using particles of gold and silver they are very expensive and so we have developed manufacturing techniques to minimise waste, scrap and off-cuts. Read how we helped a connector manufacturer increase profitability and quality. These case histories show the way we try to approach every application, with an open mind, rather than an open catalogue. We can't promise to achieve massive savings, but at the end of the day our function is to give you the optimum solution for your requirement. In the manufacturing techniques section we explain some of the processes we utilise to aid us in achieving high quality products coupled with cost-effective solutions.

Kathy Clifford

Managing Director