Protection rating

ifm electronic

Sensors, networking
and control technology
for automation

Training manual

Protection rating

Training manual
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 Protection rating

For further information, data sheets, prices etc. please go to: www.ifm-electronic.com

Training manual protection rating (as in March 2003)

H:\STV\INTERN\Sc- und Se-Unterlagen alt\DEUTSCH\Sc\SC100\sc100.doc 03.08.04 17:21

Note on guarantee

This manual was written with the utmost care. However, we cannot assume any guarantee for the contents.

Since errors cannot be completely avoided despite all efforts we appreciate your comments.

We reserve the right to make technical alterations to the products which might result in a change of contents of the
manual.

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Contents

1 Introduction 4

1.1 Proximity switches in industrial processes 4

1.2 Notation 5
1.3 On the contents 6

2 Basics 7

2.1 Overview 7
2.2 Classification 8
2.3 Protection classes 10
2.4 Overview markings 11

3 Protection ratings for ifm units 12

Index 13

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1 Introduction
1.1 Proximity switches in industrial processes
What for? Automated production processes require sensors to supply information.
They provide the necessary signals for positions, end stops, levels or serve
as pulse generators. Without sensors that work reliably even the best
controller is not able to control processes.

In general, a distinction is made between binary sensors which provide a

definite high-low signal and analogue sensors which are preferably used
in measurement technology for temperature, distance, pressure, force
measurement, etc. In the case of the latter the sensor supplies an
analogue signal which is further analysed for measurement and control.

In general, all these sensors consist of two components: The first registers
the change in the physical conditions (basic sensor), the second converts
the signals of the basic sensor into electrical output signals (signal
processing).

Sensor The figure shows the general structure which principally applies to every
sensor. Only some details are different, e.g. individual components which
are not used or cannot be separated. Sometimes the basic sensor is
simply called sensor. In this case it must be seen from the context
whether the whole unit or the basic sensor is meant. Some units also
consist of separate components, e.g. ATEX units (NAMUR sensors) and
often also temperature sensors. Here the transducer is connected to a
separate evaluation unit or amplifier.

auxiliary
supply

transducer converter signal signale pre- signal pro-

input signal conditioning processing cessing output signal

(e.g. filte- (e.g. com-

ring) pensation)

basic sensor parameter setting

intelligent sensor

Figure 1: structure of a sensor

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Next generation At the beginning, when the electronic proximity switch was introduced, it
was just regarded as a replacement for the mechanical switch. And in the
meantime it has indeed replaced the mechanical switch. So, types were
developed, produced, sold to the user who then contacted the
manufacturer if the sensor needed additional features for his application.
Now that a lot of experience has been made with the units, another
point of view can be taken. Now the first question is: Which features
does a sensor need for a certain application?

Are there any examples? In the food industry for example the following has to be taken into
consideration:
Temperature shocks (cooled fruit juice hot cleaning liquid)
New cleaning agents (are to reach all spots to remove build-up and
residues, i.e.: high requirements for ingress resistance)
Aggressive media (fruit juice also contains acids)
In metalworking for example the following has to be taken into
consideration:
Coolants (surface wetting increasingly improved, i.e. there are also
high requirements for ingress resistance, moreover the medium can
react with the sensor materials)

It is difficult to cover all these applications in standards. As, on the other

hand, the characteristics of sensors should be comparable an
international classification into protection classes has been made. It has
to be tested in the individual case to what extent this classification is
suitable for the specific application.

In general it can be said that the advantages which have led to binary
standard sensors replacing the mechanical switches are expressed by a
high protection rating. It signifies that the units permanently and reliably
withstand harsh environmental conditions, especially dust and moisture.

1.2 Notation
For a better understanding a few notations will be explained in order to
make reading the text and finding information easier.

Keywords Keywords are indicated in the margin on the left, referring to the topic to
be dealt with in the following section.

What does FAQ mean? It means Frequently Asked Questions. This term is for example also used
in the context of modern electronic media. Almost every beginner dealing
with a new subject has the same questions. Occasionally the FAQ will be
placed before a section instead of a keyword. To differentiate them from
simple keywords they are written in italics.

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1.3 On the contents
This manual is to provide basic information on protection ratings.
Important terms and correlations are explained. The structure is the
following:

1. Introduction This introduction is followed by the chapter:

2. Basics Here, the legal basics that are useful for a better understanding of the
standards will be briefly presented. A few basic terms and their
correlations will be described.

3. Protection ratings for ifm units Some practical consequences are explained.

Much success! These basics should enable everyone to successfully use the units.

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2 Basics
Do I have to know this? Some basic knowledge is necessary if you want to be a competent
partner in a discussion. Most of the time it is not sufficient to learn some
definitions by heart, the correlations are essential.
These descriptions are not supposed to be too long and theoretical. We
have tried to focus on the essential information. To do so, it has been
necessary to shorten and simplify.

When describing sensor systems such as inductive proximity switches or

photoelectric sensors the physical basics are briefly explained. This
manual is, however, about standards.

2.1 Overview
First of all we would like to make clear that this manual is not only about
interference. For this reason some aspects are briefly reminded of, which
are explained in more detail in the training manuals for the different
types of sensors.

The sensitivity of a sensor to dust and moisture depends on its operating

principle. The inductive sensor is the least sensitive.

Foreign bodies and dust Inductive proximity switches are in no way influenced by dust deposits of
electrically non-conductive materials. Also, smaller conductive particles
such as metal chips do not lead to eddy current losses that are so high as
to influence the switch.

Moisture and water The function of inductive proximity switches is not influenced by water,
moisture, fog and vapours.

Capacitive sensors react to all materials, i.e. also to dust. They are
particularly sensitive to water due to its high dielectric constant. The
excess gain of photoelectric sensors is reduced when dust is present.
However, these influences only lead to malfunctions which can for
example be remedied by cleaning.

Protection ratings are about contact and the ingress of water which can
for example lead to a destruction of the unit due to a short circuit.

For safety reasons it is important to know how well a proximity switch is

protected against ingress of moisture into the unit. This is indicated by
the second numeral of the IP marking. 7 for example means that a
proximity switch is protected against ingress of water in such a way that
it can be placed in 1 m water depth for half an hour without ingress of
water in harmful quantities.

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2.2 Classification
Standards The following more detailed description of the current classification to
IEC 60529 is not considered to be complete and absolutely precise. It is
supposed to provide you with a sense of the issue of protection ratings.

An international standardised combination of numerals is used to indicate

the ingress resistance (protection rating) of electrical equipment; so the
manufacturers of proximity switches specify the ingress resistance of their
units for example with IP67. IP stands for "international protection". The
first numeral indicates the degree of protection against contact with and
penetration of foreign bodies. The numeral 6 means protection against
ingress of very fine dust and complete protection against contact. The
second numeral of the protection rating indicates up to what extent a
proximity switch can be operated in a moist, wet environment.
IP - degrees of protection

IP IP
Contact Foreign objects Water
numeral 1 numeral 2
non-protected non-protected 0 non-protected 0
with large parts of the large foreign 1 protected against 1
body (back of hand) objects, > 60 mm vertically falling
water drops
with a finger medium-sized 2 protected against 2
foreign objects, > vertically falling
12 mm water drops when
enclosure tilted up to
15
with tools and wires, small foreign 3 protected against 3
> 2.5 mm objects, > 2.5 water sprayed at an
mm angle up to 60 on
either side of the
vertical
with tools and wires, foreign objects, > 4 water splashed from 4
> 1 mm 1mm any direction
complete protection dust deposit 5 water jets 5
complete protection ingress of dust 6 powerful water jets 6
temporary immersion 7
immersion 8
see below 9

Numeral 1: 5 Ingress of dust is not totally prevented. But dust must not penetrate in a
quantity to interfere with operation of the apparatus.

A higher contact protection can be indicated by means of additional

letters.

There are of course more detailed definitions of what is for example

meant by sprayed water and splashed water. But this is not explained in
more detail here because such specific conditions are not given in
practical applications anyway. The following question is more important
for a good understanding.

Is this a hierarchy? No! The designations are often misunderstood. IP 20 is not better or
more tight than IP 15. These two markings describe the protection

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under different, not necessarily comparable, conditions. Every numeral
has to be analysed separately. A hierarchy may only be established for
individual cases: Of course IP 22 is more tight than IP 20.

Especially in the case of harsh environmental conditions it is important to

know e.g. that a unit with IP 67 cannot necessarily be used if IP 66 is
required.

IP 68 Up to IP 67 there are generally binding rules on how to test the tightness

(see 2.1). IP 68, however, is manufacturer-specific or customer-specific. It
is only described as continuous immersion. In the individual case it has
to be seen from the documentation of the unit what is meant by this.

IP 68 at ifm ifm is trying to find an internal rule to define what is understood by IP 68.
"Continuous" does not mean eternally but considerably longer than
IP67. Considering that a finite duration of the test has to be assumed in
practice a test procedure of for example 7 days in 1 m water depth is
defined by ifm for some units.

Another special protection rating is currently gaining more importance.

IP 69K Protected against water during high-pressure and steam cleaning.

There are special requirements for example for units which are used in
the food industry. The precise definitions given in DIN 40050 for this
classification are:
Fan nozzle, directed at the unit on a turntable with 5 1 rev./min
Spraying at an angle of 0, 30, 60, 90 at a distance of 100 to 150
mm
14 to 16 l/min, 80 to 100 bar, 80 5 C
30 s per position.

Actually DIN 40050-9 refers to road vehicles. But the conditions laid
down in this standard can also be adopted for other applications. It is
also specified in this standard that the letter K always has to directly
follow the combination of numerals.

Practical use As already mentioned this classification is only to be taken as an advice

on which unit is required for an application. ifm of course tries to design
the units in such a way that they do not simply meet the requirements
but possibly exceed them.

It does occur that units with IP 67 are permanently operated under water.
Though this is not provided in the specification it may be the only
possibility if no other unit is available.

Water If you ask material specialists how resistant plastics are to water the
unisonous answer will be:
There is no waterpr oof pla st ic!
At first this may seem paradoxical and contradictory to daily experience.
But it means that it is only a matter of time until water penetrates a
plastic wall.
A higher protection is achieved using metal housings. Especially the new
efectorm series of inductive proximity switches is distinguished by
improved tightness. However, when using metal other problems may
occur, e.g. corrosion caused by salt water or acids in fruit juice. As it is

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often the case there is no ideal solution and the best possible
compromise has to be found.

2.3 Protection classes

In addition to the classification into protection ratings concerning the
ingress of media into the unit and resulting adverse effects there also is a
classification into protection classes concerning the risk for people in
contact with the unit.

Protection class 1 (I) units with protective conductor connection

Protection class 2 (II) units with protective insulation
Protection class 3 (III) units for connection to protective extra-low voltage

Safe separation from the mains All units marked protection class III or without protective conductor
connection / protective insulation mark must be connected to protective
extra-low voltage. For inductive proximity switches this can be SELV or
PELV.

An intelligent AS-i sensor, the IG5886, is an example of a unit with

protection class III.

The above-mentioned terms are briefly explained in the following.

SELV Safety extra-low voltage. Specification as a SELV system includes a

protective measure against direct and indirect contact with dangerous
voltages by means of a safe separation (e.g. an insulation rating of 500
Veff for 1 min. depending on the primary voltage) in the unit (e.g. power
supply to PELV specification). However, in contrast to a PELV system a
SELV system must not be grounded.

PELV Protective extra-low voltage, grounded version of SELV. Extra-low voltage

with safe separation. Specification as a PELV system to IEC364-4-41
(originally DIN VDE 0100-410:1997-01) includes two protective measures
(double insulation) against direct and indirect contact with dangerous
voltages by means of a safe separation of the primary and secondary
side (e.g. an insulation rating of 500 Veff for 1 min. depending on the
primary voltage) in the unit (e.g. power supply to PELV specification). For
this reason no separate PE conductor is required in a PELV system.
Circuits and/or bodies in a PELV system can be grounded (but they do not
have to).

Marking At ifm the special marking for protective insulation is placed behind the
protection rating,
e.g. IP 67 . It can be found on most sensors and has the following
signification:

Protective insulation This is an insulation in addition to the operating insulation which is

independent of it. It can mean that all parts which may become live when
the operating insulation fails are firmly and permanently covered with
insulating material. Units with protective insulation can be identified by
means of the standardised marking which you can find on the rating
label. What should be taken into consideration? Never dismantle units
with protective insulation yourself, the protective measure may be no
longer active after re-assembly of the unit. Units with a damaged housing
do no longer have a protective insulation.

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Units with the protection class 1 also require a marking which at least has
to consist of:
green/yellow conductor or
PE marking or

2.4 Overview markings

The markings on the units do not only refer to protection ratings,
protection classes and protective insulation. They for example also refer
to approvals for certain countries or fields of application. As some of
these relate to the subject of protection rating and to give you an
overview they are briefly described here. Specific markings e.g. for laser
units are explained in the manuals in whose context they are used, i.e. for
example in the training manual for photoelectric sensors.

CE By means of the CE marking the manufacturer documents that the units

marketed by him comply with the European directives for certain
electrical equipment, e.g. the EU low voltage directive (also see training
manual CE marking).

The CE standards only constitute a harmonisation for EU countries. There

are different regulations in other countries (see keyword worldwide in
3).

UL/CSA or cULus Units with this marking meet the requirements of UL (Underwriters
Laboratories Inc.) and CSA (Canadian Standards Association). In many
cases this approval is a prerequisite for access to the North American
market. cULus is a combined approval and corresponds to the two
individual approvals CSA and UL.

EHEDG The EHEDG (European Hygienic Equipment Design Group) creates

guidelines valid throughout Europe concerning the requirements for
measuring systems in machines in the food and pharmaceutical industry.
Units with the EHEDG marking have been tested and approved for the
food and pharmaceutical industry in accordance with these guidelines.

3A Units with this marking comply with the hygienic standards applicable in
the USA. They are approved for use in hygienic applications in the dairy
industry.

Ex Units with the Ex marking have been tested and approved for use in
hazardous areas by a notified European body (e.g. PTB, DMT). An own
declaration of conformity by the manufacturer without external test is
possible for ATEX category 3.
The marking with the indication of equipment group, equipment
category and substance group indicates the safety level and the field of
application of the unit.

e1 The e1 type approval by the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt certifies that the units

comply with the automotive standards and are therefore allowed to be
mounted on vehicles without expiry of their operating permit.

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3 Protection ratings for ifm units

How do I find the suitable sensor?
In the past this required some often painful research in the catalogue.
Here the electronic catalogue is of advantage. An automatic selector
selects suitable units according to predefined criteria. In order to better
meet the requirements of practical use not the protection rating but the
application, e.g. food industry or coolants, can be directly selected in the
selector.

As a rule, proximity switches are available with a protection rating of IP65

and IP67. Units with potted cable normally feature IP67. Units with
terminal chamber are specified with IP65. But they can also often be used
under conditions where IP67 is required. The other protection rating is
indicated because protection may be reduced due to incorrect mounting,
e.g. wrong placing of the seal.
With the modular units tightness has been improved even more. With
these units in particular IP 69K has been achieved.

Sockets Especially when using connector units it has to be made sure that the
suitable sockets are used in order to guarantee the corresponding
protection rating.

Characteristics As regards other characteristics such as sensing range, correction factors

etc. sensors with special protection ratings do not differ from standard
sensors. These terms are explained in detail in the training manuals for
inductive, capacitive, photoelectric sensors etc. Values are given in the
catalogue or on the internet at the afore mentioned address.

Screw terminals Units with screw terminals, e.g. monitors or AS-i control cabinet modules
usually feature IP 20.

Worldwide There are other classifications in other regions of the world, e.g. in the
USA, with a different historical background. There is in fact an
international standard, IEC 60529, which is also valid in the USA.
However, it is not necessarily accepted there. For information on the
respective specifications of the units please refer to our catalogue or visit
our website at the afore mentioned address. In case of doubt please
contact us.

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Index
3 I
3A............................................................................11
A
aggressive media........................................................5
analogue....................................................................4
B M
binary ........................................................................4
C
CE............................................................................11
cleaning agents..........................................................5
contact ......................................................................8
continuous immersion................................................9
coolants .....................................................................5
CSA .........................................................................11
cULus .......................................................................11
D
dust .......................................................................7, 8
E
e1 ............................................................................12
EHEDG .....................................................................11
Ex11
F
FAQ ...........................................................................5
food industry .........................................................5, 9
foreign bodies........................................................7, 8
H
hierarchy....................................................................9
high-pressure cleaning ...............................................9
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immersion ..................................................................9
information ................................................................2
ingress resistance .......................................................5
IP 68 ..........................................................................9
IP 69K ........................................................................9
markings ..................................................................11
measurement technology...........................................4
moisture.....................................................................7
P
PELV.........................................................................10
protection classes.....................................................10
protective extra-low voltage .....................................10
protective insulation.................................................10
S
safety extra-low voltage ...........................................10
screw terminals ........................................................12
selector ....................................................................12
SELV.........................................................................10
sensor ........................................................................4
splashed water...........................................................8
sprayed water ............................................................8
steam cleaning...........................................................9
T
temperature shocks....................................................5
U
UL ............................................................................11
W
water .....................................................................7, 9
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