Connectors & cables hoW do IP ratIngs Work?


IP ratings are also designed to be simple to understand, consisting of a series of four letters and digits that communicate specific information about a product’s performance: IP - the initial code letters, standing for ingress protection or International Protection


First digit - denotes the level of protection against solid particles and foreign objects


Second digit - denotes the level of protection against water and moisture


Each of the numbers in an IP rating provides a


precise indication of the product’s ingress protection characteristics, as outlined below and to the right:


FIrst dIgIt X - Not rated for protection of this type 0 - No protection against solid particles 1 - Protection against contact by hand 2 - Protection against contact by fingers


3 - Protection against tools, wires or thin solid objects


4 - Protection against fine tools, nails, screws and large insects


5 - Protection against all contact, and partial protection against dust


6 - Complete vacuum-sealed protection against all solids, including dust


second dIgIt X - Not rated for protection of this type


0 - No protection against water or moisture


1 - Protection against vertically-dripping water, including condensation


2 - Protection against vertically-dripping water, even when the enclosure is tilted up to 15°


3 - Protection against direct diagonal water sprays, even when the enclosure is tilted up to 60°


4 - Protection against splashing water from any direction


5 - Protection against low-pressure jets of water


6 - Protection against powerful jets of water and temporary flooding conditions


7 - Protection against full immersion in water for up to 30 minutes


8 - Protection against long-term immersion in water under high pressure


9K - Protection against high-pressure, high-temperature jet sprays, wash-downs or steam cleaning


Why are IP ratIngs so ImPortant?


Finding a connector with an appropriate IP rating is absolutely essential to ensuring that your electronics will continue to deliver reliable, long-lasting performance under the environmental conditions in which they should be expected to operate. Naturally, the need for higher IP ratings is likely to


depend largely on the specific demands of your industrial application, and the likelihood of any given system being exposed to the elements on a regular basis. Lower-rated connectors will be sufficient for an otherwise well-protected system kept within a cool, dry, dust-free environment, but for the following applications, a higher IP rating is a must:


Outdoor lighting, and other electronics that are required to perform reliably while exposed to the elements


Kitchen and bathroom environments, where moisture and condensation are unavoidable


Industrial manufacturing, where components are likely to be exposed to dust in the air


Food and beverage production, where fluids are often involved in the production process, and machinery needs to be subjected to intensive washdown procedures for hygiene reasons


Medical technology, where reliable performance is critically important in all environments, and thorough decontamination processes are required


Finding a connector that offers an


appropriate level of protection, when balanced against other considerations such as cost and form factor, will depend on a careful appraisal of the specific needs of your industrial application. You must consider all of the most likely scenarios in which your equipment will be required to perform, and accordingly factor the IP rating into your final purchasing decision. In this way, you and your business will find that


IP ratings can be a powerful tool in helping you get the very most out of your electronic connectors, and in making sure that all of your industrial systems are able to perform to the level of safety and reliability you expect and require.


Northern Connectors www.northern-connectors.co.uk


Instrumentation Monthly September 2021 21


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