All of the most critical gear for the tower erectors, contractors, and professionals in the wireless communications infrastructure industry
Issue link: http://talleyinc.uberflip.com/i/1480378
This isn't about your favorite color of paint, but more so your favorite func onal paint. PIM Shield® Paint & PIM Seal™ Caulk are new liquid RF barrier products from ConcealFab designed specifically for reducing external PIM at cell sites. These new materials create effec ve and reliable RF shields able to reduce energy arriving at covered PIM sources. Lab tests have demonstrated >30dB IM3 reduc on on PIM sources covered with a single bead of PIM Seal™ Caulk or with two coats of PIM Shield® Paint. The challenge with this product was not finding a conduc ve paint. EMI shielding paints are readily available that are designed to be painted on interior walls to provide shielding from cell phone towers, radio broadcas ng antennas, etc. The challenge was finding a conduc ve paint that was also "stretchy" enough to not crack when used in outdoor environments. The exis ng paints that ConcealFab tested were rela vely bri le and cracked easily when deployed in thick sec ons or when exposed to thermal cycling. Small cracks may not be a problem when you are crea ng an EMI shield to block weak signals far away from a radio transmi er. Cracks are a problem, however, when trying to mi gate PIM near high power base sta on antennas. Cracks in conduc ve coa ngs create lightly touching metal to-metal surfaces that can become PIM sources. ConcealFab has seen cases where cracks in a conduc ve coa ng created worse PIM than the original PIM source we were trying to mi gate! ConcealFab worked with industry experts to tackle the cracking problem and a er years of codevelopment is now able to offer highly elas c conduc ve coa ngs able to withstand harsh outdoor environments. An applica on note is available from ConcealFab that describes the extensive tes ng done to validate the RF as well as mechanical performance of these new materials. PIM Shield® Paint can be applied by brush or roller to a wide variety of surfaces near base sta on antennas. PIM Seal™ Caulk is a thickened version of PIM Paint designed for filling small gaps and for direct applica on to metal interfaces on the antenna moun ng frame. PIM Seal™ Caulk comes in 10.5 oz tubes and can be applied using a standard caulk gun. Surface prepara on requirements as well as applica on informa on are provided on the product labels as wall as in the technical datasheets. While slathering everything on the antenna moun ng frame with paint to eliminate PIM sounds temp ng, operators should con nue to replace "PIM Prone" cable support hardware with proven low PIM alterna ves. ConcealFab's new liquid solu ons should only be applied at loca ons that are difficult or expensive to mi gate using other methods. PIM Seal™ Caulk and PIM Shield® Paint are not magic solu ons for solving all external PIM problems at cell sites. They are, however, important "tools in the tool bag" in the ongoing ba le to cost effec vely eliminate PIM interference and improve network performance. Smart as Paint New Liquid Solu ons to Eliminate PIM interference and Improve Network Performance Talleycom.com SHEET QUARTER 3 2022