Why Electronic Devices Require EMI Shielding

We encounter advanced technology every day without even realizing it. An excellent example of this is EMI (electromagnetic interference) shielding, which protects the electronic devices integral to our daily lives. Keep reading to learn more about EMI shielding and why we need it for our electronic devices.

What Is EMI?

Before we can tell you why electronic devices require EMI shielding, we should first explain what EMI is. Sometimes known as radio frequency interference, electromagnetic interference is essentially the interference of an electrical path or circuit caused by an outside source.

In layman’s terms, EMI causes electronics to malfunction in minor and significant ways. There’s a relationship between electricity and magnetism, and when electronic devices are close together, their magnetic fields can interfere with one another, causing both devices to malfunction.

Why We Need EMI Shielding for Electronic Devices

As you already know, we use many electronic devices in our daily lives. Without proper EMI shielding, our electronic devices could constantly malfunction and interfere with one another, making their applications for daily use and critical infrastructure much less beneficial.

For instance, take a medical facility. Inside a hospital are all kinds of machines, such MRI machines and computed tomography machines, that we use to find and treat illnesses. If these machines didn’t have quality EMI shielding, they could experience malfunctions daily to the point where they wouldn’t be practical to use anymore.

How EMI Shielding Affects Our Daily Lives

EMI shielding is crucial for medical care and other essential infrastructure, but what about our daily lives? The most common application for EMI shielding that you encounter every day is cell phone EMI shielding. Suppose you’ve had a cell phone call unexpectedly drop for no discernible reason. In that case, the culprit could have been EMI, as cell phones are constantly emitting electromagnetic fields that could interfere with one another. Dropped calls were much more common in the early use of cell phones, but as EMI shielding technology advanced, these became much rarer. This is just another way EMI shielding technology has improved our lives—and you probably didn’t even notice!

We’ve only briefly touched on why electronic devices require EMI shielding, but there are many more reasons. But now you know that the next time you get an MRI in a medical facility or a crystal-clear cell phone call without interference, you can thank EMI shielding technology!