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Product Design Services Explain IP Rating

 

When preparing a design for the market, product design services will discuss IP rating with a client in order to determine their requirements. IP rating accounts for a product’s durability against moisture and foreign materials. It is very important for electronics but can also relate to other kinds of products in the market. Anything that is going to be exposed to the elements requires some kind of protection.

The IP rating usually has two numbers associated with its measurement. The first number relates to protection against solids and the second number refers to the product’s protection against liquids (mostly water). The numbers represent how well a product is sealed against these elements and, thus, convey its durability. Two of the most common Ingress Protection ratings that product design companies used are IP67 and IP68. In order to convey the meaning of these numbers, let’s use the smartphone example. 

When you’re looking at water resistant phones on the market, you’ll probably come across products with IP67. This measurement represents the depth of water that this phone can be dropped for a certain amount of time. For an IP67, the phone can be dropped into a meter of water for half an hour. Naturally, an IP68 would offer more protection against water damage. This is the highest rating you can get for phones since solid resistance peaks at a 6 and 8 is the peak for liquid protection. However, you want to keep in mind that these ratings are specifically related to fresh water. If you drop your phone in salt water or spill coffee on it, then the same durability does not apply. Non-water particles can easily clog the microphone and other systems in the device. 

According to Designstein Studios, a product design and development company, a higher IP rating correlates to a more reliable product. No product exists in a vacuum, which means that all products face some sort of risk from accidents, human or otherwise. There is actually a higher Ingress Protection rating for water than 8, but it is far less common for ordinary products. A level 9 water protection means that the product could sustain high pressure and high temp under water. Many industrial tools require this kind of rating. 

During the product development phase, some product design services will use the letter X in place of a number when it hasn’t been tested yet. For example, a rating of IP4X means that the solid protection was tested but not the liquid protection. On the other hand, a rating of IPX6 means that the liquid protection was tested but not the solid protection. Some products might be released with these unfinished ratings if it is not relevant to the product’s usability. However, this means that you cannot assume any level of protection for that specific category.

Included in the solid protection scale is the measurement of particle protection, like dust. IP rating can  greatly improve customer satisfaction and ensure a greater life cycle for your products. Make sure to discuss IP rating with your product design team in order to find the one that works best for your design! 

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