Investigation of electromagnetic energy propagation and shielding effectiveness in additively manufactured custom unit cells: A parametric study of geometry-dependent effects

Controlling electromagnetic energy propagation through geometric design has become a critical parameter for optimizing shielding performance in modern engineering applications. In this paper, geometry-dependent electromagnetic energy propagation and shielding effectiveness in additively manufactured custom unit cells are systematically investigated. The unit cells were classified into three main geometric groups, each consisting of four channel profile variants with controlled geometric modifications, and their SE performance was characterized through combined numerical simulations and experimental measurements over the 1–12 GHz frequency range. The unit cell configurations were analyzed based on geometric parameters, including internal surface area, tortuosity factor, and weight reduction. The results indicate that surface area and tortuosity are strongly correlated with shielding effectiveness, whereas weight reduction shows a limited contribution to shielding performance. By controlling these parameters, electromagnetic energy propagation within the structure can be effectively manipulated, providing a powerful design strategy to optimize shielding performance beyond conventional aperture-based approaches.