Understanding ingress protection for your sensors In today's blog, we aim to clarify the ingress protection rating system in order for you to understand what it means; which in turn will help choose the sensor best suited to your requirements. Sensors used in industrial environments are regularly subjected to noise, dust, moisture, heat and vibrations, all of which can cause damage to the sensor and affect the accuracy of the readings it takes. Many industrial sensors are designed to be sturdier than ones used in less punishing environments, but there is always scope for choosing a better level of protection.Liquid, whether in the form of water from condensation or general moisture in the air, or from a leaking pipe or hydraulic hose, can cause serious damage to a sensor, so it is best to ensure that appropriate protection is in place for sensors used in potentially wet places. If steam and moisture in the air is a problem then no amount of protective housing will keep water from entering the sensor, so it is better in these cases to use a waterproof or even a submersible sensor, depending on the level of expected moisture.All sensors are rated for ingress protection (the letters IP are used to denote the rating on a specification sheet) against international standard IEC 60529, which clearly states the levels of ingress protection against particles or items, and water. The first number after â€IP" denotes the level of protection a sensor offers against physical items such as fingers, wire and dust. In reality what this translates to is the ability of the sensor to withstand entry from very small particles, all the way from dust to screws and fixings. IP5_ sensors offer complete protection against contact on the sensor, and will tolerate a small amount of dust entering although it is designed to stop dust from being able to get it. IP6_ is completely sealed against dust and protected against any contact, so is therefore very reliable. A sensor with an IP3_ rating will not protect against any item smaller than 2.5mm, and is therefore more open to tampering and environmental damage.The second number relates to the ingress protection against water, so we will use IP6_ as our baseline for this part. It is possible to have a second number anywhere between 0 and 8, with 0 offering no protection against water, and 8 being submersible beyond depths of 1 metre. It is possible to have a sensor that is rated IP68 where water can still enter, but the important factor is whether that water affects the operation of the sensor. The ratings in between cover dripping water like rain, sprayed water of the types you may find from a watering can or pressure washer all the way to immersion.IP67 and IP68 can be effectively the same regarding ingress protection because IP68 rated sensors have their ingress protection conditions of submersion over 1 metre defined by the manufacturer. They may be more well protected than a sensor rated IP67 but by how much is at the discretion of the manufacturer, so in practice it can make very little difference. The IEC 60529 states that a rating of 8 on water ingress means that the sensor can be used continuously at depths of over 1 metre, and Positek can offer protection up to 3,500 metres, meaning that our IP68 rating really does mean something tangible. Our submersible linear position sensors are used in the oil and gas drilling industries on off-shore rigs, so they need to be totally waterproof at the high pressures experienced at depths of up to 3,500 metres. Some of our submersible linear position sensors are rated to withstand 10bar and some are rated to withstand 350bar, so when making your choice please do get in touch with our team who can guide you through the selection process, as well as identify the benefits of each sensor type in your application. Article published on: 28/03/2017 Article last updated on: 28/03/2017