Common IP Testing Failures and How to Avoid Them

摘要

A product that is used outdoors, in a dusty factory, or near your morning latte will often require some level of tested and certified protection against the ingress of dust and water. Companies want their products to meet specific Ingress Protection (IP) ratings, for reasons of safety, functionality, and even as a marketing technique to demonstrate superior performance over the competition. This article will discuss ways that water and dust find their way into various types of products, and design techniques to ensure the best possible test. Ingress protection tests check a product's resistance to water, dust, and foreign objects. Depending on the type of test or rating, water is applied by misting, dripping, spraying, jetting, pressure washing, steam cleaning or immersion. Dust is applied by placing the sample in an enclosed chamber with a test dust that is agitated by compressed air. In both cases the sample under test is inspected for ingress, and safety and functionality are determined.