What do protection ratings mean?

If you are working on a project that calls for an electric motor unit, you will certainly have come across the terms IP65, IP67 and IP68. What do these protection ratings cover? Which protection should be chosen based on your project? Here's a brief answer to these questions.

Choosing your drive with IP protection following to your application

The IP protection rating is an important factor to be taken into account when choosing a motor unit, since the chosen protection rating will vary according to the use (outdoor, exposure to dust/water infiltration, etc.). To avoid any risk of a fire outbreak in case of water seepage or damage due to dust, it is advisable to choose an IP65 protection rating, which guarantees complete airtightness and very satisfactory watertightness. This is particularly the case with motor units with IDX integrated electronics.

For more demanding applications where specific protections are required – for example in a hostile environment or for the food processing industry – maxon's teams can offer you specific development of adequate protections for your IDX solution.

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What is an IP protection rating?

It is a standard defined by international IEC standard 60529 of the International Electrotechnical Commission. It makes it possible to determine whether, for example, the electrical equipment is resistant to dust or weather. Apart from the industrial sector, it is aimed at various sectors, such as food processing, pharmaceuticals, etc. IP ratings have also become a selling point for smartphones. Generally speaking, this standard guarantees a product’s protection and resistance against the ingress of solid materials and liquids. This directly concerns the risk of damage to the devices until an incident occurs, such as the outbreak of a fire. In an industrial context, the protection rating therefore guarantees that the equipment can, for example, be left outside without risk of damage or personal safety risks.

Read the full article to find out the IP issues for manufacturers and how IP protection ratings works IP65, IP67, IP68…What do protection ratings mean? - drive.tech

Martin Leahy, maxon Sales Engineer, will be discussing the IP65 protection rating in his webinar Agriculture 4.0 and drive technology on Wednesday February 24, 2021, starting at 10:00 AM GMT

Register here:

Webinar: Agriculture 4.0 and drive technology by MA Business (bigmarker.com)