12/24/2015 | Understanding IP Ratings when Specifying Linear Actuators

12.24.2015, WOLFSCHLUGEN, GERMANY – Thomson Industries, Inc., a leading manufacturer of mechanical motion control solutions, has released a new educational video for design engineers to enhance their understanding of IP ratings and how the protection code can impact the specification of linear actuators.

“Over the years IP ratings have become more and more important as many of these products are used on equipment that operates outdoors,” said Chad Carlberg, Product Line Manager for Linear Actuators at Thomson. Chad explains: “Whether its dust, dirt, sand or water, you need to have confidence that your actuator will hold up to the intended environment. To specify an electric linear actuator, you must first determine the typical operating environment and then select the corresponding IP rating to ensure you’ve chosen the best solution.

“The International Protection code (IP Code), describes a system for classifying the degrees of protection provided by enclosures of electrical equipment against solid foreign objects and the ingress of water.” Chad continued. . “The first digit represents the protection against solid objects, while the second digit represents protection from the ingress of liquids”. If a product is rated at IP65, the six represents its protection against dust ingress and the five represents its protection from the ingress of water.

In the video, Chad describes how each protection rating provides a different classification: “If a product is rated as IP65, it is protected against dust ingress and low pressure wash-down. Whereas, a product rated at IP66 is protected against dust ingress and high-pressure water jets,” said Chad.

Thomson strives to continually innovate and lead the marketplace in linear motion solutions and share their application engineering and technical expertise. To that end, Thomson has authored a wide range of educational videos, webinars and technical white papers available now at http://www.thomsonlinear.com to inform and guide design engineers, explain technology alternatives and simplify the linear motion component selection process.

To view the video, please visit: http://www.thomsonlinear.com/website/com/eng/design_tools/techtips.php

For more information about Thomson’s range of Linear Actuators, please visit: http://www.thomsonlinear.com/website/com/eng/products/actuators.php

About Thomson

With more than 70 years of motion control innovation and quality, Thomson is the industry’s premier producer of Linear Ball Bushing ® Bearings and Profile Rail Bearings, 60 Case ® Shafting, ground and rolled Ball Screws, Linear Actuators, Gearheads, Clutches, Brakes, Linear Systems, and related accessories. Thomson invented the Linear Ball Bushing Bearing in 1945, and has set the standard ever since with an unsurpassed set of mechanical motion control solutions serving global commercial and aerospace & defense markets. Thomson Industries, Inc. has facilities in North America, Europe and Asia with over 2000 distributor locations around the world.

Thomson Industries, Inc., 1500 Mittel Boulevard, Wood Dale, IL 60191-1073; 1-540- 633-3549; 1- 540-633- 0294 (fax); Thomson@thomsonlinear.com; www.thomsonlinear.com.