# EMC Thermal Guide > A technical knowledge base for electronics engineers covering EMI shielding, thermal management, and EMC-compliant design. Each article follows a problem-solution structure with concrete materials, integration constraints, and design rules. Published by **Compelma**, a French manufacturer specialized in EMI shielding and thermal management solutions. **Site:** https://emcthermalguide.com ## Key topics covered - EMI / EMC shielding (gaskets, films, meshes, spring fingers, PCB covers) - Transparent shielding windows (ITO, Cu mesh, lamination, autoclave) - Thermal management (cold plates, Peltier/TEC, heatsinks, surface treatments) - EMC compliance & standards (MIL-STD-461G RE102, European EMC directives) - PCB grounding, contacts and integration constraints - Materials science for electronics (BeCu, aluminium, copper, conductive coatings) ## Main pages - [Home](https://emcthermalguide.com/) — Entry point with search and navigation to all problem categories. - [EMI Issues index](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues) — Catalog of EMI/EMC shielding problems and solutions. - [Thermal Issues index](https://emcthermalguide.com/thermal-issues) — Catalog of thermal management problems and solutions. - [Design Guidelines](https://emcthermalguide.com/design-guidelines) — Cross-cutting design rules for EMC-compliant and thermally-sound electronics. - [About](https://emcthermalguide.com/about) — Author background (Clément, Compelma) and editorial intent. ## EMI / Shielding articles - [EMI Leakage](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/emi-leakage) — Electromagnetic energy escaping enclosures through gaps and seams. Explains the slot-antenna effect, why even small openings radiate, and which gasket / sealing strategies close the leakage paths. - [EMC Shielding Gaskets Guide](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/emc-shielding-gaskets) — End-to-end guide to selecting, integrating, and maintaining EMC shielding gaskets. Covers conductive silicones, Ni/C, Ag/Al, foam and bi-material gaskets, plus IP sealing and grounding trade-offs. - [Cu Mesh EMI Shielding Film](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/cu-mesh-shielding-film) — Complete guide to transparent copper mesh film for windows and displays. Compares MFHP/MFLP grades, PET carriers, and use cases in military, medical, and RFID applications. - [EMI Shielding Window Size Limits](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/emi-shielding-window-size) — Why shielded windows have practical size limits. Walks through film types, lamination vs autoclave processes, EVA/PVB interlayers, and clean-room constraints. - [Bubble & Dust Defects in EMI Shielding Windows](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/emi-shielding-bubble-defects) — How dust and micro-contaminants generate bubbles and optical defects during lamination. Includes clean-room requirements and delamination prevention. - [EMI Shielding vs Transparency Trade-off](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/emi-shielding-transparency-tradeoff) — Why higher attenuation (dB) reduces optical transmission. Helps engineers balance shielding effectiveness and display clarity when choosing ITO or mesh films. - [EMI Shielding Durability](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/emi-shielding-durability) — Long-term behavior of shielding windows under humidity, UV, cleaning agents, and mechanical stress. Discusses adhesion loss, corrosion, and aging tests. - [EMI Shielding Film Integration](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/emi-shielding-integration) — Why integration matters as much as the film itself. Covers lamination, autoclave cycles, edge grounding, gasket interface, and clean-room handling. - [EMI Shielding Film Comparison](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/emi-shielding-film-comparison) — ITO vs metallized vs metallic mesh films compared on surface resistance, attenuation, and optical clarity. Helps select the right transparent shielding technology. - [Moiré Effect on EMI Shielded Displays](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/emi-moire-effect) — How regular mesh patterns interfere with display pixel grids to create moiré. Explains irregular-mesh designs and viewing-distance mitigations. - [SMT vs Spring Contacts](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/smt-vs-spring-contacts) — Choosing between soft SMD contact pads and spring finger contacts for PCB grounding and EMI shielding. Covers reliability, compression, and assembly trade-offs. - [How to Choose a Spring Finger Contact](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/spring-finger-selection) — Selection guide for BeCu spring fingers and ground clips. Includes compression range, working height, normal force, plating (Au/Sn), SMT placement, and an interactive selector tool. - [PCB Shielding Covers](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/pcb-shielding-covers) — How to choose EMI shielding caps and covers for PCBs. Covers the Faraday-cage principle, materials, clip vs belt vs single-cover designs, and SMD-compatible packaging. - [MIL-STD-461G RE102 Shielding](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/mil-std-re102-shielding) — Explains MIL-STD-461G RE102 radiated emission limits, the corresponding shielding effectiveness required, and practical design rules to meet the standard. - [Copper Layer & Capacitive Touchscreens](https://emcthermalguide.com/emi-issues/copper-layer-touchscreen) — Why a continuous conductive layer blocks PCAP touch sensing. Presents EMC-compatible alternatives (mesh, ITO) that preserve both shielding and touch functionality. ## Thermal management articles - [Overheating](https://emcthermalguide.com/thermal-issues/overheating) — Components exceeding safe operating temperatures under load. Covers thermal runaway, derating, throttling, and basic power-dissipation strategies. - [Cold Plates — The Ultimate Guide](https://emcthermalguide.com/thermal-issues/cold-plates) — Complete guide to liquid cold plates. Covers technologies, aluminium vs copper, FSW (friction stir welding), glycol loops, pumps, and full system integration. - [Cold Plate Manufacturing: Press-Fit vs Epoxy Resin](https://emcthermalguide.com/thermal-issues/cold-plate-manufacturing) — Comparison of press-fit and epoxy-resin processes for tube-laminated cold plates. Discusses copper/stainless tubing, contamination, outgassing, and clean-room suitability. - [Peltier Cooling — The Ultimate Guide](https://emcthermalguide.com/thermal-issues/peltier-cooling) — Complete guide to thermoelectric (TEC) cooling. Covers Peltier principles, COP, solid-state benefits, silent/reversible operation, and typical applications. - [Surtec 650 vs Anodizing](https://emcthermalguide.com/thermal-issues/surtec-vs-anodizing) — Surtec 650 chromate-free conversion coating versus anodization for aluminium heatsinks. Compares thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, cost, and EMC impact. - [Thermal Pad vs Gap Filler vs Paste](https://emcthermalguide.com/thermal-issues/thermal-interface-materials) — Compares the three main thermal interface material families (pads, gap fillers, paste) on conductivity, bond line thickness, compressibility, and durability. Includes a decision logic to pick the right TIM and a FAQ on pump-out, BLT and thermal resistance. - [Heatsink Selection: Passive vs Active Cooling](https://emcthermalguide.com/thermal-issues/heatsink-selection-passive-vs-active) — How to choose between passive heatsinks and active cooling (fans, Peltier, cold plates) for electronic enclosures. Covers natural vs forced convection, fan types, IP-rating impact, noise, MTBF, a comparison table and a decision framework. ## Design guidelines - [Thermal Management Guidelines](https://emcthermalguide.com/design-guidelines/thermal-management) — Why thermal dissipation is critical in electronics. Covers overheating risks, performance degradation, and cooling solutions (heatsinks, cold plates, Peltier). - [EMI Shielding Guidelines](https://emcthermalguide.com/design-guidelines/emi-shielding) — Why electromagnetic compatibility matters. Covers challenges, risks of poor EMI control, European standards, and integrating shielding from day one. - [EMC Compliance Guidelines](https://emcthermalguide.com/design-guidelines/emc-compliance) — Best practices to pass EMC certification: PCB layout, grounding, shielding, filtering, and cable management strategies. - [Integration Constraints](https://emcthermalguide.com/design-guidelines/integration-constraints) — Managing EMI and thermal trade-offs in compact designs. Covers space limitations, conflicting requirements, and practical integration strategies. - [EMC & Thermal Glossary: 10 Key Terms](https://emcthermalguide.com/design-guidelines/emc-thermal-glossary) — Quick-reference glossary of essential EMC and thermal terms (Shielding Effectiveness, Thermal Resistance, Derating, COP, FSW, Slot Antenna, BLT, Faraday Cage, Radiated Emissions, Conformal vs Enclosure Shielding) with internal links to in-depth articles. ## About the publisher This guide is published by **Compelma**, a French company specialized in EMI shielding and thermal management solutions for industrial, medical, defense and aerospace electronics. The site is editorial and educational — no pricing, no marketing — written by **Clément** to help engineers find concrete answers to EMC and thermal problems in under 10 seconds. ## Maintenance note This file must be kept in sync with the site content. When a new article is added, append a new bullet under the matching section (EMI / Thermal / Guidelines) with: title, full URL, and a 2–3 sentence summary. The canonical content index lives in `src/data/searchIndex.ts` and the routing table in `src/App.tsx`.