Steel, aluminium or copper?

Reverberation Chambers are made from different materials that influence performance and price. In this post, our reverberation expert, Dimitrios Barakos, and the EMC Solution Specialist at Rohde & Schwarz, Martin Randrup Villadsen, explain the key factors to consider when choosing the best materials for your testing solution.

Dimitrios Barakos: “Generally, we work with three kinds of chamber construction metal: steel, aluminium and copper. The latter is the most expensive but also offers the best performance in terms of electric field strength. Therefore, copper is only used in high-demanding chambers for the military, for example. But the best choice of material also depends on the amplifier power”.

Martin Randrup: “And that’s where we come in, and that is also why there must be a tight cooperation and dialogue between Comtest and Rohde & Schwarz while preparing a solution for our clients. An aluminium reverberation chamber might be more expensive than a steel one. Still, because of the higher achieved fields, the cost reduction from the amplifier can lead to a more cost-efficient solution.”

Dimitrios: “When we get each customer’s request, I try to optimise the RVC design as much as possible for their specific requirements. As Martin says, teaming up with him regularly helps us to be more efficient in a long-term design solution for our clients.”