FEATURE MACHINE BUILDING, FRAMEWORKS & SAFETY


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ENSURING THE INTEGRITY OF MACHINE


ENCLOSURES


sprays in all directions, provided that they do not exceed an angle of 60 degrees.


4 - The equipment is protected against splashing. 5 - The equipment is protected against water projections.


protection for its intended use. Ingress protection (IP) testing reduces the risk of product failure in the field by assessing the degree of protection provided against mechanical intrusion, dust, accidental contact, and water into casings and enclosures. IEC 60529 – Degrees of Protection provided by IP Code – is therefore the standard that must be followed. This contains the criteria to assess equipment to its appropriate IP code, ensuring machinery is robust enough to deal with the environment within which it has been installed.


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IP RATINGS EXPLAINED The International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC) ingress protection (IP) ratings grade an enclosure’s level of resistance to items entering it, defining three different types of ingress protection that an enclosure could provide against: 1. Human access to hazardous components within an enclosure. 2. Solid objects or dust. 3. Liquid ingress. The IP Code consists of the letters IP followed


by two digits and an optional letter. The first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts and the ingress of solid foreign objects. It is rated on a scale from 0 to 6: 0 - No protection against the penetration of solid particles, objects or dust.


1 - The equipment is protected against any solid object larger than 50mm.


2 - The equipment is protected against any solid object larger than 12.5mm.


3 - The equipment is protected against any solid element larger than 2.5mm. For example, if a machinery operator


18 DESIGN SOLUTIONS NOVEMBER 2024


Darren Hugheston-Roberts, senior manager – Digital & Industry Solutions at TÜV SÜD, examines the importance of IP ratings attempted to insert fine tools, etc.


s machinery can deteriorate or malfunction when water or dust enters, it’s vital to ensure that it has the correct


4 - The equipment is protected against any solid object larger than 1mm. For example, larger types of tools or screws, etc.


5 - The equipment is partially protected against dust. This rating means that while dust can enter crevices within the equipment, it cannot damage it, and that contact is not possible.


6 - The equipment is completely dustproof, so that dust is unable to enter crevices so that the equipment cannot be soiled or damaged. The second digit indicates protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of liquids, using a scale from 0 to 9. This covers both the amount of water and the depth of immersion, including the power of a jet. The additional letter can be appended to classify only the level of protection against access to hazardous parts by persons: 0 - No protection against moisture or any liquid coming into contact with the equipment.


1 – The equipment is protected against liquid falling vertically only.


2 – The equipment is protected against drops falling at an angle of 15 degrees.


3 – The equipment is protected against liquid


6 - The equipment is protected against powerful water jets. For example, if equipment is being cleaned with a high-pressure device.


7 - The equipment is waterproof up to a depth of 1m.


8 - The equipment is waterproof beyond a depth of 1m, so water may be able to seep into the equipment, but it cannot damage it.


9 - The equipment can resist high-pressure hot water from different angles.


For example, IP 69 rated machinery is effective


against powerful high-temperature water jets used in environments that require a more stringent washdown, while IP66 is effective against powerful water jets.


MACHINE INTEGRITY Simply specifying an IP-rated machine does not, however, cover the fitting of any post- manufacture additions such as push buttons and indicator lights. Neither does it allow for any necessary drilling into the enclosure that is required for the addition of power cables once the machine is on site. In addition, factories are likely to spray at a much closer distances than those stipulated in the IP-rated tests. All of this can impact the machine’s


integrity, creating potential leakage points. To ensure problem-free operation in washdown areas, it is therefore important to maintain the ingress protection rating during assembly and installation. Not only does IEC 60529 define the varying


Ingress protection (IP) testing reduces the risk of product failure in the field


levels of protection provided by enclosures, it also describes the test methods required for verifying that level of protection. IP testing reduces the risk of product failure in the field by assessing the degree of protection provided against mechanical intrusion, dust, accidental contact and water into casings and enclosures. This ensures that machinery remains functional, reliable and safe for operators to use.


TÜV SÜD www.tuvsud.com


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