Designing IP 65 Compliant Equipment: How does it work ?

Our business since 1985 is to accompany our customers in the development and manufacture of their electronic devices in the HEALTH & BEAUTY, INDUSTRY or SERVICE & IoT sectors for the ENCLOSURES, COVERS and PARTS … the final touch, that dresses the electronics and gives the external identity to a finished product

Can you design a watertight plastic enclosure?

The answer is YES. On the other hand, it is important to understand the technical definition of the LEVEL OF WATERTIGHTNESS when developing a custom plastic enclosure for electronic devices.

IP stands for Protection Index. This index is made up of TWO digits and is included in the European standard EN 60529

First digit - protection from foreign body and particulate ingress
Second digit – protection from moisture ingress

Number

Solids

Liquids

Not rated (or no rating supplied) for protection against ingress of this type

Not rated (or no rating supplied) for protection against ingress of this type.

Protection against solid objects larger than 50mm (accidental hand contact with open palm), but not against deliberate body contact.

Protection against vertically falling droplets, such as condensation, sufficient that no damage or interrupted functioning of components will be incurred when an item is upright.

Protection against solid objects larger than 12mm (accidental finger contact).

Protection against vertically dripping water when enclosure is tilted up to 15° off vertical.

Protection against solid objects larger than     2.5mm (tools and wires).

Protection against direct moisture spray at angles up to 60° off vertical.

Protection against solid objects larger than 1mm (fine tools and wires, nails, screws, larger insects and other potentially invasive small objects)

Protection against splashing water from any direction, tested for a minimum of 10 minutes with an oscillating spray (limited ingress permitted with no harmful effects).

Partial protection against dust and other particulates, such that any ingress will not damage or impede the satisfactory performance of internal components.

Protection against low-pressure jets (6.3 mm) of directed water from any angle (limited ingress permitted with no harmful effects).

Full protection against dust and other particulates, including a vacuum seal, tested against continuous airflow.

Protection against powerful jets (12.5 mm nozzle) of directed water from any direction.

Protection against full immersion for up to 30 minutes at depths between 15 cm and 1 metre (limited ingress permitted with no harmful effects).

Protection against extended immersion under higher pressure (i.e. greater depths). Precise parameters of this test will be set and advertised by the manufacturer and may include additional factors such as temperature fluctuations and flow rates, depending on equipment type.

Protection against high-pressure, high-temperature jet sprays, wash-downs or steam-cleaning procedures - this rating is most often seen in specific road vehicle applications (standard ISO 20653:2013 Road Vehicles - Degrees of protection).

To achieve a high degree of protection, the housing must be designed accordingly, but the assembly of the components must also consider the need for sealing.

The sheet plastics processing technology is based on methods that originated in carpentry, such as the “tongue and slot” mounting. It is now a proven process, and we develop several hundred new, unique, and entirely bespoke projects per year. Our designs are driven by technology, which dictates connecting lines. Those connecting lines fragilize the watertightness.

For example, the most basic design in plastic sheet metal, i.e. 2 U-clips (EC10-200-0) meets an IP requirement of 54.

The definition of this IP standard is as follows:

5 = Protected against dust and other microscopic residues
4 = Protected against splashing water from all directions

We have solutions to offer you a waterproofing equivalent to IP65. However, these solutions require a special adaptation to your custom-made enclosure. This need must be explicitly expressed to your contact person at LTP

Can you provide me with a waterproof certificate for the case?

LTP cannot provide a certificate for the watertightness level. As a subcontractor, we design and manufacture the bespoke plastic enclosure for you. This enclosure is only part of the final product. It is up to you to perform this test after the final assembly of your device. It is however possible to integrate an IP watertightness pre-test. In this case, it is necessary to define a test method that is physically and technically feasible for LTP, to assist you in the various manufacturing steps to achieve your desired final result.

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Let's talk about your project to find the right solution. Our teams are at your service.