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You might hear the acronym “IP” used in many different contexts today. It can mean “Internet Protocol,” the addresses used to identify internet access points. It can mean “intellectual property,” the system of copyrights and trademarks used to protect people’s intellectual labors. But for people who work with electrical and electronic devices, IP has one very important additional meaning: ingress protection.
The ingress protection (IP) rating system is a performance rating system for electrical enclosures, the metal or plastic boxes that protect electrical devices. An IP rating provides information about how an enclosure protects a device against ingress from both solid materials and from liquid water.
The IP68 rating is the highest standard enclosure rating on the IP scale and, consequently, it’s widely used throughout the world for all kinds of devices. Let’s learn more about the IP68 enclosure rating and what you should know about it when choosing an electrical device enclosure.
IP68 rated enclosures are a common choice for outdoor electrical enclosures.
Why are IP ratings such an important piece of information for people who work with and design electrical devices? Here are the basic principles that make IP ratings useful:
Now that we’ve seen why IP ratings are so important, let’s take a deeper look at how they actually work in practice.
The IP rating system is part of the standards established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). More specifically, IP ratings are based on the IEC 60529 standard, which establishes two-digit numerical categories for rating electrical enclosures based on the level of ingress protection that they provide.
Each IP rating follows the formula of “IPXX,” where each X is a number that represents a specific level of protection as outlined in IEC 60529. The first number represents solid ingress protection, while the second number represents water ingress protection. Each numerical increase represents a step up in protection. For example, when comparing IP67 vs. IP68 ratings, you’ll notice that IP68 provides a higher degree of protection in a number of specific ways (which we’ll discuss below).
Devices that don’t require a certain kind of protection may have one digit listed as an X, such as an IPX7 rating for a device that only requires water protection rather than water and dust protection. However, most electrical enclosures are rated for both dust and water ingress protection.
IP68 is the highest standard rating on the IP enclosure scale. That means that IP68 enclosures are the choice of professionals who need to provide their devices with the ultimate in rugged protection, especially for devices that may spend a substantial amount of time submerged.
So, when it comes to the specific rating of IP68, what levels of protection can a device manufacturer or designer expect? We’ll break it down according to the two digits that comprise the IP68 rating:
Most IP68 enclosures achieve their protective qualities through a combination of precision manufacturing and a waterproof, dust proof gasket. By using enclosure parts with extremely small gaps and fine machining tolerances, Polycase creates minimal space for dust and water to enter our enclosures. Then, through the addition of a rubber gasket, our enclosures block any remaining water and dust from reaching the device within.
Next, we’ll talk about some of the applications that demand the powerful protection that an IP68 enclosure provides.
What are the applications in which you might see an IP68 enclosure used in today’s world? These are some of the most common applications where you’ll find them in use:
Because of their high level of protection, IP68 enclosures can be a great choice for almost any application. Although IP68 enclosures often cost more than other types of enclosures due to their high standards of design and manufacturing, many device manufacturers and designers find that the superior protection is worth the cost.
An enclosure manufacturer can claim that its products are IP68 rated, but how are these claims verified? That’s an important question that all enclosure buyers should ask before purchasing an enclosure because the IP ratings system is voluntary and is not enforced by any single centralized authority.
Thus, it’s important to purchase enclosures only from manufacturers who verify their enclosures’ IP ratings through an independent quality assurance authority. An independent QA tester will perform rigorous testing that mimics the conditions that an enclosure might experience, such as flying dust or submersion in water.
The most reliable solution is to look for enclosures that are tested and certified by Underwriters Laboratories (now called UL). UL is the industry leader in independent QA and safety testing, and you’ll find their logo on a huge range of electrical and electronics devices that they’ve tested for quality and performance.
Every IP-rated enclosure from Polycase has been tested and verified by UL experts. These tests help us confirm that every enclosure provides dependable performance at the IEC 60529 standard. To see the UL test results of any Polycase enclosure, just find the UL file number on the enclosure’s product listing and enter it into UL’s Product iQ search database.
The National Association of Electrical Manufacturers also produces a rating scale called the NEMA enclosure ratings system that’s used to rate electrical enclosures in the U.S. The NEMA rating system assesses many similar enclosure qualities as the IP rating system, but it has some key differences (which we address in detail in our IP to NEMA conversion guide).
The main advantage of NEMA ratings is that they rate protection against corrosion, external ice formation and several other factors that IP ratings don’t consider. If your enclosure application requires protection against these environmental conditions, it’s important to also learn about any NEMA ratings that an enclosure carries.
In the case of IP68 enclosures, a NEMA 6P rating is considered roughly equivalent to an IP68 rating. To make it easier for our customers to find the best enclosure for their needs, Polycase tests each enclosure to both NEMA and IP standards and lists both NEMA and IP ratings on every rated enclosure that we offer.
Device designers and builders should note that IP68 ratings have some limitations when it comes to the protection that they provide. The common theme among these limitations is that, because of its place atop the IP ratings scale, the IP68 rating doesn’t always tell the whole story. It’s important to evaluate the specific testing standards of an IP68 enclosure because of the potential variation between individual models.
Be aware of the following facts about IP68 enclosure ratings and be ready to investigate these aspects further when evaluating a specific IP68 enclosure model:
Polycase HD-44F Polycarbonate Enclosure
Polycase offers a full range of IP68 outdoor enclosures that are built for superior performance. We have IP68 enclosures in both aluminum and polycarbonate plastic, designed for the toughest outdoor applications and rigorously tested using industry standard methods.
Below are a few of Polycase’s most popular IP68 options:
Most of our IP68 enclosure models are available with a variety of accessories, including cable glands, vents, DIN rail kits and internal mounting panels for easy assembly.
Looking for more choices? Browse our full IP68 electrical box selection for additional options from Polycase. And don’t forget that we offer robust enclosure customization options, including precision CNC machining and custom digital printing.
Polycase is proud to offer uncompromising performance from our IP68 enclosures alongside unparalleled customer service. Our enclosure professionals are always glad to assist if you need more information or a customized enclosure. Just call us at 1-800-248-1233 or contact us online.
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