IP-Protection

Standards IEC 60529; EN 60529 and DIN 40050

Scope

These standards apply to the classification of degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment with a rated voltage not exceeding 72.5 kV.

Object

The object of these standards is to give:

a)Definitions for degrees of protection provided by enclosures of electrical equipment as regards:

1. Protection of persons against access to hazardous parts inside the enclosure

2. Protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects

3. Protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful effects due to the ingress of water.

b)Designations for these degrees of protection.

c)Requirements for each designation.

d)Tests to be performed to verify that the enclosure meets the requirements of these standards.

Designations

The degree of protection provided by an enclosure is indicated by the IP code. 

Elements of the IP code and their meanings

A brief description of the IP code elements is given in the following table.

Information about IP protection levels may vary depending on mounting or application for the various components. Following explanations are supplemented for this purpose.

There are cases where more than one IP value is mentioned for a product. Then this values are separated by a slash or by the term "or". This information is given for families or on series level to indicate that there are different variants with respective IP protection degrees. In some cases there will be further information about the respective conditions to ensure the tightness said.

e.g.. 40 / 54 with sealing kit

This mounting perspective means the protection against the ingress of foreign substances from the outside into the interior of the appliance. Accordingly, it comes to the sealing of the offered component against the housing and also the sealing of moveable elements which are accessible from the outside.

This is basically the opposite to the mounting of the front side. The listed IP value means the protection level from the rear side of the selected part, so it is focusing on the inside of the appliance. This information can be important when there is an intention of potting the components inside the housing. This specification is also noted whether a component is suitable for this process.

If the IP rating of a component is particularly high, then the respective sealing areas have to be addressed in detail in order to explain the requirements for a successful sealing. These detailed mounting instructions are correspondingly provided for the respective products.

The sealing from the component towards the housing is the primary goal. Accordingly here the seal is described against the flange and the attachment area. In addition, more information coming from the moving parts, or even the insertion region.

A) Front view B) Details of front mounting C) Details of rear mounting

1) sealing of flange 2) sealing of fuseholder 3) sealing of screw hole (front mounting type: sealing ring on screw head) 4) sealing of screw hole (rear mounting type: sealing on screw thread) 

In connector systems, the operating condition is taken into account if a unit has to be tight under current supply, this corresponds to the so-called inserted state.

Otherwise, it may happen that a device must be sealed for transport or cleaning phase in which the power supply cable is not connected to the device. This mentioned case is referred to IP protection when unmated.

Available products to enhance the IP protection level are listed as accessory products. It is important that the necessary components are used according to the specifications as for example using a connector with the proposed cord retainer.

1) Appliance inlet 6100-3 with factory-mounted inlet gasket 2) Flat gasket 3) Chassis 4) Pillar 5) Gasket ring 6) Crinkle washer 7) Nut 8) Retaining clip

The IP values are depending on the product range optional or recommended selection criteria in the catalog refinement search. The complementary accessories and matching components are referenced in the respective product data sheets.