PPG introduced PPG TESLIN EMI/RF (electromagnetic interference/radio-frequency) shielding material, which is a flexible, moldable and affordable shielding solution that can be customized to provide specific shielding functionality and performance.

Patent pending with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, PPG Teslin EMI/RF shielding material is designed for electronic applications that require shielding to function properly, protect RF transponders from illegitimate reading or writing, or provide a durable grounding path. Common examples include pouches for credit cards, cell phones and electronic toll passes, grounding tapes, circuit boards, safe rooms, actuated chips, antennas and electronic devices.

The new material is also gaining interest globally as a shielding solution for advanced electronic passports (e-passports) because of its ability to protect against fraudulent access to travelers’ personal data, thereby increasing document security.

More than 75 nations use PPG Teslin substrate as a key component in their e-passport designs. The material has been trusted for nearly 15 years to secure and protect embedded electronics in passport inlays and electronic covers due to its bonding strength and inherent flexibility and tamper-resistance. By transitioning from PPG Teslin substrate to PPG Teslin EMI/RF shielding material, government passport designers can create documents that offer citizens an added layer of protection against data skimming without significantly increasing production costs.

“The addition of RF-shielding capability to standard PPG Teslin substrate creates an even higher level of value and functionality for e-passports,” said Pierre Scaglia, PPG global segment manager, secure credentials, Teslin substrate products. “Beyond secure credentials, PPG Teslin EMI/RF shielding material also has the versatility to be used for many other products and materials that require RF protection.”

Coated with PPG-manufactured conductive inks, PPG Teslin EMI/RF shielding material can be customized to meet specific requirements for product functionality and shielding effectiveness. For example, ink coverage can be adjusted from full to partial and can be grid patterned or fully coated.

The material comes in multiple grade and thickness options and is offered in sheets, master rolls or slit rolls. Like PPG Teslin substrate, the EMI/RF shielding material is compatible with a wide range of finishing techniques. These include folding, molding, perforating, stitching and gluing without altering the material’s shielding effectiveness.

“The world is becoming increasingly security-conscious, from large corporations and governments to individual citizens trying to protect data, sensitive information and personal identities,” said Greg Terchick, PPG global business director, Teslin substrate products. “By combining the performance features of PPG Teslin substrate and PPG conductive inks, we have created a new way to help existing e-passport issuers combat fraud without requiring any significant additional investment in materials, printing or production processes.”

PPG will demonstrate the PPG Teslin EMI/RF shielding material in booth S23 at Security Document World (SDW), which will be held June 11-13 at the ExCel Convention Center in London. A PPG representative also will give a presentation on the new material on June 13 at 11:10 a.m. in the SDW theatre.