ABS, NEMA and IP Ratings Explained for Industrial Enclosures and Equipment

Last Updated on Friday, 09 December 2011 08:33

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is a thermoplastic used to make light, rigid, molded enclosures. One of the most common ABS products is Lego™ building blocks. There are RFID tags that are encased in ABS to improve impact resistance, toughness, and water/heat resistance. ABS products are typically given a NEMA or IP rating for durability.

NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) has established a range of standards for electrical equipment enclosures.

The IP (Ingress Protection or International Protection) Rating is defined in international standard IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 60529.

Both rating systems classify the degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against external influences or conditions such as:

mechanical impacts
contact with hazardous moving parts external to the enclosure (such as fans)
moisture (for example, produced by condensation )
corrosion
corrosive solvents (for example, cutting liquids)
fungus
vermin
solar radiation
icing
explosive atmospheres

NEMA Ratings

Here is a partial list of the NEMA standards used in industrial environments:

NEMA 4 - Type 4 enclosures are intended for indoor or outdoor use primarily to provide a degree of protection against windblown dust and rain, splashing water, and hose-directed water; and to be undamaged by the formation of ice on the enclosure. They are not intended to provide protection against conditions such as internal condensation or internal icing.

NEMA 4X - Type 4X enclosures are intended for indoor or outdoor use primarily to provide a degree of protection against corrosion, windblown dust and rain, splashing water, and hose-directed water; and to be undamaged by the formation of ice on the enclosure. they are not intended to provide protection against conditions such as internal condensation or internal icing.

NEMA 12 - Type 12 enclosures are intended for indoor use primarily to provide a degree of protection against circulating dust, falling dirt, and dripping none corrosive liquids. They are not intended to provide protection against such conditions as internal condensation.

NEMA 13 -Type 13 enclosures are intended for indoor use primarily to provide a degree of protection against lint, dust, spraying of water, oil and none corrosive coolant. They are not intended to provide protection against conditions such as internal condensation.

IP Ratings

An IP Rating consists of the letters IP followed by two digits and an optional letter.

First digit

The first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts (e.g., electrical conductors, moving parts) and the ingress of solid foreign objects.

Level	Object size protected against	Effective against
0	—	No protection against contact and ingress of objects
1	>50 mm	Any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part
2	>12.5 mm	Fingers or similar objects
3	>2.5 mm	Tools, thick wires, etc.
4	>1 mm	Most wires, screws, etc.
5	dust protected	Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact
6	dust tight	No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact

Second digit

Protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water.

Level	Protected against	Details
0	not protected	—
1	dripping water	Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect.
2	dripping water when tilted up to 15°	Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15° from its normal position.
3	spraying water	Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect.
4	splashing water	Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect.
5	water jets	Water projected by a nozzle against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
6	powerful water jets	Water projected in powerful jets against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
7	immersion up to 1 m	Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion).
8	immersion beyond 1 m	The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. NOTE: Normally, this will mean that the equipment is hermetically sealed. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that produces no harmful effects.

Additional letters

The standard defines additional letters that can be appended to classify only the level of protection against access to hazardous parts by persons:

Level	Protected against access to hazardous parts with
A	back of hand
B	finger
C	tool
D	wire

Further letters can be appended to provide additional information related to the protection of the device:

Letter	Meaning
H	high voltage device
M	device moving during water test
S	device standing still during water test
W	weather conditions

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