Dust Test Chamber and Sand and Dust Test Equipment for Quality Testing

1. Introduction
Electronic products encompass a wide range of products from lighting products, electronic components, mobile communication terminals and more, all including protection requirements such as mechanical, waterproof, explosion-proof, and conflict-proof protection. However, GB/T5170 “Inspection Methods for Environmental Test Equipment for Electrical and Electronic Products” does not place emphasis on dust protection tests as dust sources are plentiful, such as deserts, car exhaust and manmade materials.

The harm of dust is significant, blocking conduction, jamming moving parts, reducing heat transfer efficiency, abrading moving parts, clogging air filters, reducing electrical insulation and even leading to discoloration, mould and corrosion; even fire hazards may occur. Furthermore, due to the lack of unified test equipment standards and calibration procedures in actual life, test workers have been troubled when designing dust protection products. Currently, dust protection level requirements are being developed, such as for use in electronic and lighting products, requiring the use of IP5X or IP6X products – with different types of sand and dust test equipment having significance in ensuring safety, stability, and reliability, so care should be taken when designing dust protected products to consider the standards of different countries.

SC-015 Dustproof test chamber

2. Related Standards for Sand Dust Tests
In order to select the right Dust Test Chamber, GB/T2423.37-2006 “Electrical and Electronic Products Environmental Test Part 2: Test Method L: Dust Test” should be referred to, and opinions should be obtained from local technical institutions and dust test equipment manufacturers. Meanwhile, some foreign standards such as IEC60068-2-68:1994, MIL-STD-810f, GB4208, JISC0920:2003 should also be taken into account to determine the protection standards of products and find effective protective strategies and give advice. Finally, effective calibration test equipment can ensure the practicality and reliability of measurement parameters and provide maximum protection for the dust-proof resistance of products.

The series standards of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) are referred to by the Caribbean region and North America. Its protection category system is slightly different from that of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60529 standard. According to the NEMA 250 standard, in addition to considering dust factors, bacteria, explosion-proof, steam condensation and other elements should also be taken into account, and the symbols of each IP code also meet the requirements of NEMA. For example, the symbols of 12K, 12, 6P, 6, 5, 4X, 4, 3S, 3 meet the requirements of dust protection, and the dust requirements of the vehicle product standard are 12K, 12, 5, 4X, 4, 3S, 3. GB/T4942.2-1993 and GB/T4942.1-2006, QC/T417.1-2001, GB/T10485-2007 and German standard DIN40050-9, GB7000.1-2007 and Japanese industrial standard JISD0207 all specify the contents of relevant dust test sections.

By comparing the above standards, it can be seen that in order to meet different requirements of dustproof, the sand and dust test equipment needs to have a certain degree of dustproof protection, draw a negative pressure environment, measure with a dust meter, and refer to the dust parameter index above to make the actual combination of IP6KX and IP5KX to ensure the dustproof effect of the product. At the same time, according to the usage scenario, companies need to take corresponding protection measures when designing the product structure, such as installing a tight dust cover, arranging dust plug-in plugs, dust nets, coating a layer of chemical protective material on the product surface, etc., so as to meet the dustproof requirements and ensure product quality and use effect. We can use dust test equipment to conduct dust testing, combined with standards, to ensure that reliable samples meet the requirements of NEMA standards, maintain its safety and durability and meet customer requirements. Only in this way can we carry out the actual testing of samples and meet the requirements of international technology, so that the products can stand out in the international market.

3. Dustproof Performance Detection: Equipment and Test Requirements
In modern society, electronic products and lighting products have been widely used, and dust test is also one of the most important considerations for anti-dust equipment, because dust is very harmful to these electronic products. Its impact includes blocking conduction, grinding the parts panel, plugging air filter, reducing thermal conductivity, And affects the electrical insulation, etc. Therefore, when designing Dust Test Chambers, we should pay attention to refer to the national standards GB/T2423.37-2006 and international standards IEC60068-2-68:1994, MIL-STD-810f, GB4208, JISC0920:2003 to determine the protection standards of products, and calibrate test equipment to ensure the practicability and reliability of measurement parameters. To sum up, we can effectively implement dust test to maximize the safety of the product.

Nowadays, many devices can meet the test requirements if they are tested according to the national experimental standards, but if they want to meet the test conditions required for IP5X and IP6X tests, they need up to 5 sets of sand and dust test equipment, and Attention to test temperature, humidity, concentration, wind speed, sample location, dusting time, rest time and so on. In order to improve product quality, the external control device should be strictly sealed and the lockhole should be assembled with dust cover. The movable device port should be sealed with dust stopper, and the air outlet should be equipped with filter devices such as filter meshes and sand nets to avoid using forced air cooling devices and change to suction for blowing. In addition, an anti-chemical material should be applied to the surface of important circuit devices to resist the invasion of complex environments. In order to make our products have the same competitiveness as their international peers, we must focus on every detail to ensure the stability of the experiment, so as to take a higher development path.

4. Enhance the Security Protection of Products
To enhance the security protection of products, we need to take measures such as installing locks at external control devices, assembling dust covers and dust plugs at movable ports for preventing dust and other illegal invasions. In addition, air intake should be equipped with filters and sand screens for effective protection of valuable sand and dust test equipment. Moreover, when changing air blowing pattern to ducted system with forced air cooling, it is necessary to avoid as much as possible. As for electrical circuit devices used under bad conditions, a layer of anti-corrosion material should be coated on the surface to ensure circuit safety.

5. Conclusion
To keep the quality of domestic products ahead of the global competition, it is essential to pay attention to every detail and ensure long-term and healthy development of the enterprise.