If you are sourcing a Tech-Etch alternative or qualifying a second source for EMI gaskets and shields, 3G Shielding Specialties supplies form-, fit- and function-equivalent materials across the categories most Tech-Etch customers buy: conductive elastomers, fabric-over-foam, knitted and oriented wire, conductive foam, and board-level shields — plus a contact-force-reviewed alternative to beryllium-copper fingerstock. This page maps the common Tech-Etch product families to their 3G equivalents and explains how we cross-reference by specification, not just by trade name — backed by short lead times, free 48-hour samples and same-business-day engineering.
Tech-Etch is a well-regarded, employee-owned US manufacturer best known for photo-etched beryllium-copper fingerstock and precision EMI hardware. Even so, buyers routinely qualify a second source to protect a schedule — against extended lead times, minimum-order friction, or slower turnaround on cross-referencing and technical questions when demand is high. As a focused US manufacturer, 3G competes on exactly those points: predictable lead times, free 48-hour samples, no-charge cross-referencing, and a US-based engineering team that typically replies the same business day.
Equivalents below are matched by material family and function. Exact profile, filler system, durometer and specification are confirmed per part by our engineering team.
| Tech-Etch family | Material / function | 3G Shielding equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Beryllium-copper fingerstock (Track, Clip-on, Stick-on; Omni Grounding, SPIDER, No-snag) | Low-closure-force spring contact / grounding | WaveSeal oriented-wire & knitted-wire contact strip (contact-force reviewed per application) |
| Supershield conductive elastomer (Series 1000) | Silicone filled carbon, nickel-graphite or silver-based conductive gaskets | WaveSeal Conductive Elastomer (molded, extruded, die-cut) |
| Metalized fabric-over-foam gaskets (Series 2400 / 2600) | Low-closure-force FoF EMI gaskets | WaveSeal Fabric-Over-Foam |
| Knitted wire mesh (Series 2000) & Multishield oriented wire (Series 4000) | Monel / tin-plated mesh & wire-in-elastomer | WaveSeal Knitted Wire & Wire-Oriented strip |
| Twinseal EMI + environmental seal (Series 3000) | Knitted mesh bonded to a solid/sponge weather seal | WaveSeal Combo Strip & Elastomer-Core |
| Conductive foam gaskets (Series 2700) | Metalized-fabric-over conductive foam | WaveSeal Conductive Foam & Conductive PE Foam |
| Board-level shielding (1-piece, 2-piece, SlimShield) | Photo-etched PCB shield cans & frames | 3G MetalworX — QUBE, FLEX, SWIPE, PIC-it, MULTIZONE, HYBRID, Machined |
| Honeycomb vent panels (Series 8000/8200/8300) & shielded windows | Ventilation / display shielding | Engineering-reviewed integration — 3G cross-references the surrounding gasket & board-level system for these assemblies |
Beryllium-copper fingerstock is Tech-Etch’s signature product, prized for very low closure force and high cycle life on doors and removable panels. 3G does not sell a like-for-like BeCu spring finger, and we do not pretend otherwise. What we do is review the actual requirement — contact force, deflection range, mounting channel and grounding path — and, where the design allows, recommend an oriented-wire or knitted-wire contact strip that delivers comparable grounding and shielding in the same slot. Where the application genuinely needs a spring finger, our engineers will tell you that up front. The point of a cross-reference is a part that works, not a trade-name substitution that fails at test.
A real cross-reference verifies more than a shape. For a conductive-elastomer gasket that means confirming the filler system and base polymer (for example silver-plated-aluminum in silicone versus nickel-graphite in fluorosilicone), the MIL-DTL-83528 type, durometer, profile geometry, shielding-effectiveness target across your frequency band, compression-set and galvanic compatibility with your flange material. For a knitted-wire gasket it means matching the wire alloy and plating, the mesh construction and the elastomer or foam core. 3G engineering confirms each of these before releasing an equivalent, so the replacement drops into your existing design without a requalification surprise.
Programs that replace an incumbent need more than a matching part — they need the paperwork. 3G supplies certificates of conformance, material traceability and, where required, test data to support your requalification package. Because 3G is ITAR and JOSCAR registered and works to an ISO 9001:2015 quality system, controlled drawings and defense supply-chain requirements are handled directly, without routing your data through a third party. That combination — matched material, matched format and complete documentation — is what lets buyers add 3G to an approved-vendor list as a qualified alternate without a redesign.
For many designs, yes. 3G reviews the required contact force, deflection and channel geometry and recommends an oriented-wire or knitted-wire contact strip that delivers comparable low-closure-force grounding in the same mounting. Where a design specifically requires a beryllium-copper spring finger, we say so — our goal is a matched contact solution, verified by our engineers, not a like-for-like claim.
Yes. 3G’s WaveSeal conductive-elastomer line cross-references filled-silicone gaskets in the class of Tech-Etch’s Supershield Series 1000 (carbon, nickel-graphite, and silver-based fills), and our knitted-wire line matches Monel and tin-plated mesh gaskets — all matched by filler system, durometer, profile and MIL-DTL-83528 type rather than by trade name.
Send the Tech-Etch part number, drawing or datasheet and our US-based engineering team returns a matched 3G equivalent, usually the same business day, at no charge. Standard-material evaluation samples typically ship within 48 hours, free of charge.
3G is ITAR and JOSCAR registered and operates under an ISO 9001:2015 quality system, and supplies conductive elastomers to recognized specifications including MIL-DTL-83528 for use in MIL-STD-461 EMI-controlled designs, with certificates of conformance and material traceability on request.
Send us the competitor part number — our US engineering team returns an equivalent, usually the same business day.
Get a Cross-Reference QuoteEvaluate the equivalent on your own bench before you commit.
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