QPL connector gaskets meet demanding DoD standards. This is the second in a series of technical articles about why defense contractors choose EMI gaskets from Elasto Proxy.
Some military contracts require QPL connector gaskets made from Qualified Product List (QPL) materials. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) manages the QPL program, which is designed to ensure performance, quality, and reliability in mission-critical military electronics. Achieving a QPL listing is a demanding process, and not all material suppliers can meet DoD requirements.
For design engineers and technical buyers, sourcing QPL materials is only part of the challenge. In addition to compound selection, it’s important to evaluate a potential partner’s manufacturing capabilities. EMI gaskets that are made of particle-filled silicones support various fabrication methods, but designers and buyers need to pick a gasket fabricator with the right balance of experience and expertise.
Military Experience and Manufacturing Expertise
For over 25 years, Elasto Proxy has been providing the North American defense industry with specialized seals and custom insulation. At our global headquarters in Boisbriand, Quebec, Canada, skilled production personnel use water jet cutting and various splicing and taping techniques to produce complete sealing solutions in low-to-medium volume quantities.
Today, the EMI gaskets that we custom-fabricate are made of particle-filled silicones, electrically-conductive elastomers that are filled with metal or metal-coated particles. Many of these shielding silicones meet the requirements of MIL-DTL-83528, a U.S. military specification (MIL-SPEC) with lettered sections that establish minimum levels of plane wave shielding effectiveness at 10 GHz over a continuous use temperature range.
M83528 Connector Gaskets for EMI Shielding
M83528, as this MIL-SPEC is better known, also defines the base material and the fill material for each lettered section (Types A through M). As the first technical article in this series explained, Elasto Proxy custom-fabricates EMI gaskets from materials that meet the requirements of M83528 Types A, B, D, E, L, K, and M. Two of these compounds have a QPL-83528 listing from the DoD’s Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which supplies the U.S. military with critical resources.
The Type B and Type D QPL connector gaskets that Elasto Proxy custom-fabricates are filled with silver-coated aluminum particles. For product designers and technical buyers who need to meet demanding performance requirements while containing project costs, these silver-aluminum elastomers strike just the right balance. Type B QPL connector gaskets use silicone as the base material. Type D QPL connector gaskets use fluorosilicone for fuel and oil resistance.
QPL Connector Gaskets: Type B and Type D
This table describes the QPL listed materials that Elasto Proxy uses to custom-fabricate EMI shielding gaskets for military projects. Both materials have been independently tested for best attenuation level, as reported in the Shielding Data column below.
| MIL-DTL-83528 Type |
EMI Gasket Material | Fill Material |
Base Elastomer | Durometer (Shore A) | VR (Ohms/Cm) | Shielding Data |
| B | EMI-83528-B-65 | Silver-Aluminum | Silicone | 65 | .001 | 139.1 dB @ 200 MHz |
| D | EMI-83528-D-70 | Silver-Aluminum | Fluorosilicone | 70 | .005 | 137.4 dB @ 80 MHz |
How Can We Help You?
Do you need EMI shielding gaskets made of QPL listed materials? Do you need QPL connector gaskets that meet the requirements of M83528 Types B and D? To learn more about Elasto Proxy’s capabilities, please contact us. If you plan to attend CANSEC 2016, please visit Elasto Proxy in Booth #935 at the May 25 – 26, 2016 at the EY Centre in Ottawa.
