What are the requirements for the IP dust level testing standards of electronic products

In our daily lives, electronic and electrical products generally have a certain level of dust and water resistance. Dust resistance testing is commonly used to test the protective ability of electronic and electrical products in slightly dusty environments. The higher the IP protection level capability, the less damage can be caused to electronic products by adverse external environmental factors. The sealing ability of equipment is crucial to ensuring safe operation and lifespan.

Dust prevention test is mainly used for sand and dust simulation test of low-voltage electrical appliances, motors, instruments, instruments, electronic products, and lighting fixtures. It is to evaluate the sealing performance of mobile phones, electrical products, and other products in sand and dust environments, as well as the sealing performance of automotive and motorcycle components and seals in the use, storage, and transportation of sand and dust environments.

IP is the abbreviation for Ingress Protection, derived from the International Electrotechnical Commission's standard IEC 60529. In this standard, for the sealing performance of electrical equipment casings and the protection of casings against foreign objects, the format of the IP level is IPXX, where XX is two Arabic numerals. The first marked number represents the contact protection and foreign object protection level, and the second marked number represents the waterproof protection level.

The dust level is represented by IPXX, where the first X represents the dust level, ranging from 0 to 6.

The commonly used dust level tests include IP5X and IP6X level tests. How to evaluate the dust test level? The IEC/EN60529 standard divides dust prevention into 7 levels (IP00 IP6X), and the evaluation criteria are as follows:

IP00: Completely without dust protection;

IP1X: Can protect against foreign objects with a diameter greater than 50mm falling into the device;

IP2X: Can protect and prevent foreign objects with a diameter greater than 12.5mm from falling into the equipment;

IP3X: can protect and prevent foreign objects with a diameter greater than 2.5mm from falling into the equipment;

IP4X: It can protect and prevent foreign objects with a diameter greater than 1.00mm from falling into the equipment;

IP5X: It cannot completely prevent dust from entering, but the amount of dust entering must not affect the normal operation of the equipment or affect safety;

-IP6X: Completely dustproof.

IP Dust Test Process

1. Preparation of test samples

① If there are specific requirements for the test sample, the sample should be treated according to the requirements to keep the surface of the sample dry.

② Dust proof test is a part of the shell protection, usually connected to the waterproof test. It is carried out after the waterproof test and must wait for the sample to dry before being placed in the sand and dust box.

③ If no pre-treatment conditions are specified for the test sample, the sample should be placed under the following normal atmospheric conditions for more than 2 hours in accordance with GB/T 2423.37:

Temperature:+15 ℃~+35 ℃

Relative humidity: 45% RH~75% RH

Atmospheric pressure: 80kPa~106kPa

2. Placement of test samples

① Place the preprocessed unpackaged test samples into the workspace of the dustproof test box. Unless otherwise specified for the test samples, the samples will not work during the test process without electricity.

② The volume of the test sample shall not exceed one-third of the effective working space of the dust proof test box, and the distance between the test samples and the wall of the sand and dust box shall not exceed 100mm.

3. Vacuum pumping

① IP5X (Type 1): When the pressure inside the shell is lower than the surrounding atmospheric pressure during normal use, a suction hole should be installed on the shell of the Type 1 test sample, close to the vulnerable component, and a hose should be used to connect the suction hole on the test sample to the suction port of the vacuum system.

② IP5X (Type 2): The air pressure inside the casing is the same as the surrounding atmospheric pressure.

③ IPX6: Regardless of whether the test sample is a Type 1 or Type 2 casing, vacuum should be applied.

4. The amount of sand and dust used

The volume of the dustproof test box per cubic meter is 2kg of dry talcum powder.

5. Close the dust-proof test box door properly

Check the sealing of the dust test box to ensure that the internal test dust cannot escape.

6. Start the experiment

① For test samples that require vacuum pumping, at the beginning of the test, simultaneously start the blower and vacuum pumping system, adjust the valve to ensure that the vacuum degree and air flow meet the requirements of the product technical conditions.

② For test samples that do not require vacuum pumping, only turn on the blower and do not turn on the vacuum system.

7. End of experiment

① If the technical requirements for the test sample require intermediate testing, after the test reaches the specified time, stop the blower of the vacuum system, wait for the dust to settle completely, open the door of the test box, and conduct intermediate testing without removing the test sample.

② For test samples without intermediate detection requirements, when the test time or pumping volume meets the requirements, the vacuum system and blower should be stopped. After the dust is completely settled, the sample should be taken out and placed under pre-treatment environmental conditions for 1-2 hours.

8. Final detection

① Check the amount of dust entering the outer shell of the test sample and the location of dust deposition.

② Inspect according to the requirements of the test sample (such as electrical and mechanical properties).

Dust proof test is an evaluation of the sealing performance of a product to determine its reliability in various dust environments. The following are some commonly used dust test reference standards:

1. GB/T 4208-2017 Housing Protection Level (IP Code): This standard specifies the protection level of the housing, including the protection level against solid objects (such as dust). IP code is an international standard used to represent the level of protection of a product.

2. IEC 60529 Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code): This is a standard developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) to evaluate the protection level of product enclosures. This includes the level of protection against dust.

3. GB/T 2423.37 Environmental Testing for Electrical and Electronic Products Part 2: Test Methods Test L: Dust Test: This is a Chinese national standard used for environmental testing of electrical and electronic products. The test L refers to the dust test, which is used to evaluate the performance of the product in a dust environment.

4. IEC 60068-2-68 Environmental testing Part 2: Tests Test L: Dust and sand: This is the environmental testing standard developed by IEC, where TestL refers to dust test. This standard is used to evaluate the performance of products in dust and sand environments.

5. GJB150.12A Military Equipment Laboratory Environmental Test Method: This is the standard for environmental test methods in Chinese military equipment laboratories, which includes requirements for dust prevention testing.

These standards provide a set of specifications and methods for evaluating the protective performance of products in dust environments. According to the specific product requirements and application areas, suitable standards can be selected for dust prevention testing.