Radio Frequency Steel Doors & Frames

A Radio Frequency (RF) shielding door assembly reduces the amount of radio-frequency and/or electromagnetic energy that is transmitted across an opening. Often RF door and frame assemblies are designed to achieve acoustic as well as radio frequency attenuation.

Door and frame assemblies meet combined radio frequency standards. The drop in energy transmitted across the opening (attenuation) is measured in decibels. The performance can be specified as a particular attenuation at a particular frequency (i.e. 40dB at 1GHz), as a consistent attenuation across a band of frequencies (i.e. 25dB from 400Mhz through 10GHz), or as varying attenuation across a band of frequencies (i.e. 25dB at 200Mhz, 35dB at 800MHz, 40db at 1.2GHz).

Assemblies are provided complete with RF gasketing that is essential to product performance in the field. Materials can be provided in mild steel or stainless steel formats to meet the widest variety of applications.

Are painted steel products acceptable in an RF environment?
The relationship between the door, seal and frame is absolutely critical and the presence of finish paint between the seal and the door face can pose a serious problem. In short, the presence of finish paint can create a barrier between the various parts of the assembly. The matter can be addressed in one of three ways: the use of an unpainted door face such as stainless steel, the absence of paint on a mild steel door face, the use of RF tape that can be applied to the door face where it contacts the perimeter seal.

Does the architectural hardware affect the RF-Shielding performance?
Yes, different makes/models of hardware can profoundly affect the product’s performance. As well, perimeter and bottom seals are an integral part of an RF-Shielding door assembly’s performance and must be supplied as per the performance requirements and configurations tested by AMBICO. In the common case of acoustic performance being specified with radio frequency reduction, the seal system can be modified accordingly. The project hardware consultant should always coordinate closely with AMBICO.

What are some typical applications for RF-Shielding door assemblies?
RF-Shielding door assemblies are commonly used to a) shield sensitive electronic equipment from interference generated by equipment in adjacent areas of a building, b) prevent electronic eavesdropping in high-security areas.