Protect electronic enclosures from containment ingress

Custom UAF products are configurable to help meet a wide range of enclosure IP ratings:

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Air filters protect electronic equipment and commercial enclosures from dust, debris, and water to help ensure reliable operation.  These enclosures are designed for multiple applications and deployed in a wide variety of harsh environments that require various levels of equipment protection.  The Ingress Protection (IP) scale, in accordance with IEC Standard 60529, defines the level of contaminant protection.  Designers use IP ratings to specify and test according to the environmental and operating conditions of the equipment.  Air filters are critical in helping ventilated enclosures meet the desired IP rating.

The IP Rating chart below shows the various degrees of contaminant protection.  Each IP rating consists of two numbers.  The first number defines the level of dust and foreign object protection and the second number defines the level of liquid protection.  While IP ratings apply to the enclosure and not the air filter, air filters are a key component in meeting IP rating requirements for dust and water ingress protection and equipment reliability.

Universal Air Filter Company specializes in providing design support to help engineers meet IP rating requirements for enclosures. Contact UAF today for design support and made to specification prototypes.

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Though air filters are not technically certified to an IP rating, the following IP Rated Air Filter Guide offers guidelines in selecting an air filter with the appropriate level of protection to help meeting an IP enclosure rating.

IP Rating Chart

Enclosure IP Rating	UAF Product Line Recommendations*
IP54 IP55 up to IP56	Outside Plant air filters offer the ultimate protection from harmful ingress.  A high efficiency media eliminates dust ingress and a specialty membrane eliminates water ingress.
IP53 IP54  up to IP55	Quadrafoam air filters provide protection against dust ingress, and along with enclosure design features such as louvers can help to eliminate water ingress.
IP20 IP30 up to IP40	Woven Screen air filters can provide protection against larger particles for compliance with the foreign object / probe portion of IP compliance.
IP53 IP54  up to IP55	Custom High Efficiency air filters provide protection against dust ingress, and along with enclosure design features such as louvers can help to eliminate water ingre
IP 52 IP53 up to IP55	Metal Mesh air filters provide protection against dust ingress, and along with enclosure design features such as louvers can help to eliminate water ingress.
IP 52 IP53 up to IP54	Polyester air filters provide protection against dust ingress, and along with enclosure design features such as louvers can help to eliminate water ingress

  *Air Filter performance is not based on enclosure (cabinet) level ratings. Ingress protection ratings, such as, IP, NEMA, GR-487, etc., are enclosure level ratings dependent on enclosure design and features, such as, louvers, hoods, snorkels, air intake labyrinth, gaskets, etc. Product recommendations are based on various air filter materials, performance characteristics, and customer feedback for similar applications.

First Number	Protecting against  dust, foreign object	Second Number	Protection against liquids
0	No Protection	0	No Protection
1	Protected against solid objects over 50mm (e.g. accidentally touched by hands)	1	Protected against vertically falling drops of water
2	Protected against solid objects over 12mm (e.g. fingers)	2	Protected against direct sprays up to 15˚ from the vertical
3	Protected against solid objects over 2.5mm (e.g. tools and wires)	3	Protected against direct sprays up to 60˚ from the vertical
4	Protected against solid objects over 1mm (e.g. tools, wires, and small wires)	4	Protected against sprays from all directions – limited ingress permitted
5	Protected against dust ingress	5	Protected against low pressure jets from all directions – limited ingress permitted
6	Dust-tight	6	Protected against high pressure jets from all directions – limited ingress permitted

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