Deep Dive Science | Jiang Zongte Analysis: How to Choose the Protection Level of Electric Cylinder (IP65, IP67, IP68)?
Preface
In high-end non-standard automation projects such as military industry, marine engineering, intelligent manufacturing, and medical equipment, the IP protection level of electric cylinders directly determines the service life and operational stability of the equipment. Many equipment engineers often confuse the parameters of IP65, IP67, and IP68 when making selections, and mistakenly choosing a lower protection level can lead to problems such as water ingress causing equipment malfunctions and screws rusting. In severe cases, the entire machine may be forced to stop production for repair.
Suzhou Jiangshentai Automation, which has been deeply engaged in the non-standard servo drive field for over a decade, combined with the actual measurement data of its own full series of waterproof electric cylinders, analyzed the core differences among the three main types of protection grades from three dimensions: national standards, actual measurement standards, and application scenarios, to assist the industry in making precise selections.
One. First, understand the basics: The determination logic of IP ratings
IP protection follows the IEC60529 international standard and the GB4208 national standard. It is represented by two digits: the first digit indicates the dust-proof capability, and the second digit indicates the waterproof capability. For IP65/67/68, the first digit is uniformly 6 = full dust-proof protection, which can completely prevent dust, metal debris, and fine particles from entering the cylinder body. The dust-proof performance of the three is the same, and the core difference lies in the waterproof indicators.
The entire range of Jiangshentai servo electric cylinders, multi-stage cylinders, heavy-duty cylinders, miniature cylinders, and integrated cylinders can be customized with three types of protection as per customer requirements. Relying on the self-developed multi-layer composite sealing structure, they have passed third-party authoritative waterproof and dustproof tests and are suitable for customized requirements in various harsh working conditions.
Two. Hierarchical Disassembly: IP65/IP67/IP68 Parameters and Protection Boundaries
1、IP65: Spray Protection - The Preferred Choice for General Industrial Applications
Waterproof test standard: 6.3mm standard nozzle, low-pressure spray in any direction, water flow rate of 12.5L/min, continuous spraying for ≥ 1 minute. No water leakage into the cylinder body, no damage to electrical components and transmission parts. It can prevent rain, splashing water, and daily equipment rinsing and spraying, but it cannot be submerged in water.
Jungstonter landing scene: Conventional intelligent manufacturing production line, 3C precision pressing, medical detection equipment, indoor six-degree-of-freedom simulation platform, drying condition heavy-duty push cylinder. The indoor workshop with a lot of dust and occasional splashing of coolant is the most common application environment for IP65 electric cylinders, offering the best cost performance and is also the standard protection level for Jungstonter servo electric cylinders.
2、IP67: Suitable for short-term immersion in water, outdoor / waterlogged conditions
Waterproof test standard: The entire machine is completely submerged in 1-meter ambient temperature still water. The water surface must be at least 15 cm higher than the top of the cylinder. It is immersed for 30 minutes without any water leakage. After the immersion, the equipment's accuracy and power performance show no degradation. It can withstand sudden water accumulation, heavy rain soaking, and temporary water immersion. Long-term underwater operation is prohibited.
Jungent landing scene: Open-air military support equipment, outdoor test platform, aquatic processing automation, offshore work equipment, humid chemical workshop. Compared to IP65, Jungent's IP67 waterproof electric cylinder upgrades with double lip fluorine rubber sealing + cylinder end face labyrinth sealing. The cylinder body is treated with hard anodizing for corrosion prevention, suitable for custom non-standard equipment in case of sudden water accumulation.
3、IP68: Long-lasting Diving, Deep Sea / Fully Immersion Extreme Operating Conditions Specialized
Waterproof testing standard: The water immersion depth and duration are determined by both the supplier and the buyer. The protection performance exceeds IP67 significantly. It can be continuously submerged in the specified water depth environment for long-term stable operation, and is the highest conventional waterproof grade for industrial electric cylinders.
Jiangsent Landing Scene: Ocean underwater test equipment, deep water exploration tooling, underwater military executive mechanism, fully immersed underwater degree platform. Jiangsent IP68 deep water electric cylinder adopts 316L stainless steel cylinder body and fully enclosed pressure-sealing structure. The sealing ring uses special materials resistant to seawater corrosion. It can be customized with long-term diving specifications of several meters of water depth according to customer requirements. It has been deeply involved in marine engineering and aerospace underwater test project support for many years.
Selection误区 reminder: Waterproof rating ≠ the higher the better. Blindly choosing IP68 will significantly increase the equipment procurement cost; for indoor production lines in dry environments， choosing IP65 is sufficient to meet the requirements； for situations where water accumulates and causes short-term immersion， IP67 can be selected； for long-term underwater operations， IP68 customized models are required.
Three. Jiangshentong Protective Customization: Advantages in Implementing in Multiple Industry Scenarios
Suzhou Jiangshentai was established in 2014. Over the past decade, it has focused on the research and development of non-standard automated linear drives. Its products cover servo electric cylinders, explosion-proof electric cylinders, waterproof electric cylinders, multi-stage cylinders, heavy-duty cylinders, micro cylinders, hole-type cylinders, and six-degree-of-freedom platforms. Relying on its own-developed sealing technology, it can flexibly customize differentiated protection solutions such as IP65/IP67/IP68 for various specialized environments including aerospace, military, marine engineering, medical, lithium battery, food and chemical industries.
1、Military industry / Aerospace industry
The on-road vehicle-mounted equipment is standardly equipped with IP67 protection, while the underwater simulation test platform is customized with an IP68 deep-water cylinder.
2、Intelligent Manufacturing / Healthcare
For clean production lines and medical testing equipment, IP65 dust-proof and water-resistant tanks are recommended.
3、Ocean Engineering
The onshore equipment is of IP67 standard, and the entire series of underwater actuators are customized to IP68 standard.
From the selection of sealing materials to the anti-corrosion process of the cylinder body, Jiangshentai strictly controls the protection performance throughout the entire process. Before leaving the factory, each high-protective electric cylinder undergoes comprehensive simulation tests including spraying and water immersion, effectively avoiding potential failure risks in the actual environment.
Summary
A brief summary of the selection rules: For daily spraying, choose IP65; for short-term immersion in water, choose IP67; for long-term underwater use, choose IP68. For subsequent project selection, you can precisely match the protection level based on the dry and wet conditions at the site, whether it is exposed to the elements or submerged in water, and the cleaning conditions.
Jiangshentai Automation in Suzhou has been continuously focusing on non-standard customized high-protective electric cylinders. If you need samples for IP65/IP67/IP68 waterproof cylinders for testing or need calculation of working conditions schemes, please feel free to contact the technical team at any time.
