Dust Testing of Electronics

​In the evaluation of the dust protection properties of enclosures and the determination of their protection class, the devices's internal thermal losses, condensed water holes and any cooling fans and ventilation solutions are taken into consideration. Dust testing can also be used in the evaluation of the performance of devices in dusty conditions.

In accordance with the standard EN 60529, the ingress of dust is not entirely prevented in an IP5x dust-protected enclosure. However, it should not penetrate in a quantity or location so it could interfere with the correct operation of equipment or to impair safety.

Enclosures are divided into two categories for testing purposes

Category 1: Enclosures, where the normal operating cycle of the device causes reductions in air pressure within the enclosure below that of the surrounding air, e.g. due the thermal cycling effects.

Category 2: Enclosures, where no pressure different relative to the surrounding air is present.

For category 1 enclosures, the test are performed by connecting a vacuum pump suction connection to the tested enclosure and pumping out a volume of air depending on the volume of the enclosure, creating a maximum depression of 2 kPa.

Category 2 enclosures are tested without depression with a test duration of eight hours.

In dust tight enclosures designed for ingress protection class IP6x, no dust ingress is allowed, and the device enclosures are always tested using depression even if there are drain or pressure equalizing holes.

The recommended maximum dimensions of enclosures in our testing chamber

• Height 2200 mm
• Width 1500 mm
• Depth 1000 mm

With normal settings, the maximum weight is 150 kg, but with additional structures, devices weighing up to 500 kg can be tested.