
What is Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)?
Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) describes the ability of an device to operate as intended in its environment without interfering with other devices. Controlling electromagnetic interference is an integral part of the development of any electronic device. By law, products must comply with international EMC standards which regulate EM emissions and the susceptibility of electrical and electronic systems in order to be sold. A successful product must strike a balance between EMC and competing design requirements such as size, cost and performance, and this can pose major challenges to engineers. The earlier a potential EMC problem is identified, the less disruption it causes to the design process. By including EMC compliant design at an early stage, additional costly development iterations can be avoided later on.
Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) regulations shall ensure that devices must not emit electromagnetic fields that can disrupt other electronics, and must be able to withstand interference from nearby devices and from environmental electromagnetic effects (E3) such as lightning strikes or electromagnetic pulse.
How can simulation help with EMC?
Electromagnetic simulation gives engineers a detailed view of all EMC-relevant aspects of a device – from the flow of currents across a circuit board, to the propagation of fields between co-site antennas – and helps them identify and resolve potential problems before testing. This not only cuts development time and costs, but can also reduce the risk of failing regulatory EMC testing. SIMULIA’s simulation portfolio includes a range of specialized tools for interference and EMC analysis, powered by fast, accurate 3D solvers.
EMC Software Applications:
- EMC Rule Checking
- EMC virtual testing
- Co-site interference analysis
- E3 - Electromagnetic Environmental Effects
- Cable harness simulation
With CST Studio Suite technology, the relevant EMC categories emissions and susceptibility can be studied. It also enables the investigation of system level effects, either by its sheer ability to tackle very large and complex set-ups efficiently, or by using hybridization between the most appropriate solvers, dedicated to a certain problem class, such as cables for example.
EMC/EMI Applications
Simulation of Crosstalk and De-sense in a Mobile phone
in our interactive infographic you will be intoduced the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and signal integrity (SI) issues affecting the design of a mobile phone by short videos.

ESD Testing Simulation -
Air Discharge Method
In the air discharge method, the charged electrode of the test generator is brought close to the DUT and the discharge is actuated by a spark to the device. In this paper the electrostatic discharge (ESD) generator test setup is modeled using SIMULIA CST Studio Suite and the simulations are carried out for different test levels for air discharge as specified in the IEC standard IEC 61000-4-2

ESD Testing Simulation -
Contact Discharge Method
In the contact discharge method for electrostatic discharge testing, the electrode of the test generator is held in direct contact with a conducting part of the equipment under test (EUT) and the discharge actuated by the discharge switch within the generator. IEC 61000-4-2 describes the procedure for the calibration of the injected waveform by the ESD generator. The waveform characteristics are compared with the ideal generator waveform characteristics.
Bulk Current Injection | Application Note
Learn more about the Bulk Current Injection (BCI) technique, a non-invasive method due to test the immunity of electronic devices.
Additional EMC Resources
SIMULIA Electromagnetics Technology for EMC/EMI Simulation
SIMULIA develops simulation technology that can be used to calculate electromagnetic fields in a wide range of application, areas. These techonoligie are particularly useful for EMC/EMI simulation. Depending on your working environment this technology is available to you in various ways:
Electromagnetics on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform
EM simulation software is a game changer when it comes to reducing the time and cost of bringing a product to market, not just in the high-tech industries of electronics and communication.
3DEXPERIENCE Works Electromagnetics
Electromagnetics Engineer is a high-performance 3D electromagnetic simulation solution. Powered by the industry proven CST Studio Suite, this cloud-enabled role delivers fast, effective simulation and design guidance of electro-mechanical devices, PCB’s, antennas in a truly multi-physics environment.
CST Studio Suite
CST Studio Suite is a high-performance 3D EM analysis software package for designing, analyzing and optimizing EM components and systems.