NEMA Rating and IP Code for Enclosure Types

NEMA Rating and IP Code for Enclosure Types

What is NEMA rating or NEMA codes? What does IP20 stand for? What is the difference between NEMA3R and NEMA4?
The below table would help you understand the story.
  • NEMA Rating and IP Code for Enclosure Types

    NEMA Rating and IP Code for Enclosure Types

NEMA stands for National Electrical Manufacturer Association. NEMA ratings are standards that are useful in defining the types of environments in which an electrical enclosure can be used. The NEMA rating system is defined by the National Electrical Manufacturer Association, and frequently signifies a fixed enclosure’s ability to withstand certain environmental conditions.
The IP Code (or International Protection Rating, sometimes also interpreted as Ingress Protection Rating) consists of the letters IP followed by two digits and an optional letter. As defined in international standard IEC 60529, it classifies the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water in electrical enclosures. The first IP digit refers to solid objects and the second digit refers to liquids.
The inverter, charge controller or battery enclosures are usually referred with NEMA ratings. The IP code is rarely mentioned, especially for the junction box of solar modules or for indoor electrical devices. There is a NEMA rating table that goes from 1 to 13; however, only some of them are applicable in solar industry.
Here is a table that would help you with NEMA and IP codes:

NEMA IPxx Description
NEMA-1: General Purpose – Indoor IP20: Protection against solid objects up to 12mm. Type 1 enclosures are intended for use indoors, primarily to prevent accidental contact with the enclosed equipment, in areas where unusual service conditions do not exist.
NEMA-3: Dust tight, rain tight and sleet resistant – Outdoor IP64: Total protection against dust and protection against spray or water from every direction Type 3 enclosures are intended for use outdoors, to protect the enclosed equipment against windblown dust and water. They are not sleet (ice) proof.
NEMA-3R: Rainproof and sleet resistant – Outdoor IP22: Protection against solid objects over 12mm and against direct spray up to 15° from vertical. Type 3R enclosures are intended for use outdoors, to protect against rain, and meet the requirements of UL 508 “Rainproof enclosures”. They are not dust, snow nor sleet proof.
NEMA-4: Watertight and dust tight – Indoor and outdoor IP66: Total protection against dust and protection against strong jets of water. Type 4 enclosures are intended for use indoors or outdoors, to protect the enclosed equipment against splashing water, seepage of water, and severe external condensation. They are sleet resistant but not sleet (ice) proof.
NEMA-4X: Watertight and dust tight – Corrosion resistant – Indoor and outdoor IP66: Total protection against dust and protection against strong jets of water. Type 4X enclosures have the same provisions as Type 4 enclosures and, in addition, are corrosion-resistant.
NEMA-12: Industrial use, dust tight and drip tight – Indoor IP55: Protected against dust and protection against low pressure jets of water from every direction. Type 12 enclosures are intended for use indoors, to protect the enclosed equipment against fibres, flyings, lint, dust and dirt, and light splashing, seepage, dripping and external condensation of non-corrosive liquids.

Eagle Signal Timers for Plastics Manufacturing

Plastics
You can’t go a single day without encountering literally hundreds, if not thousands, of objects made out of plastic. Since they were popularized for use in consumer packaging and durable goods in the 1950s, plastics have since exploded into a $310 billion a year industry. And behind many those plastic packaging and manufacturing plants are Eagle Signal timers.
For plastics manufacturing techniques such as injection molding machinery, thermoforming and extrusion equipment to blow molding machinery, promoting reliable and safe plastics production and consistent product output is critical. This means reducing unnecessary downtime and eliminating all material waste. The key to accomplishing this is accurate and reliable timing equipment.
Eagle Signal brand electronic timers ensure timed plastic mold release and precise heat and pressure control of the plastic resin pellets within the barrel of the injection mold machine. The on-delay timer activates the heating element which signals the temperature controller to melt the plastic pellets to a given temperature parameter within the barrel for optimum plastic injection or molding at the opposite end.

 

Eagle Signal brand elapsed timers and hour meters for RV's and Golf Carts?

Recreational Vehicles
Eagle Signal brand elapsed timers and hour meters aren’t just the lifeblood of complex machine shops and industrial applications. They’re also found anywhere it’s necessary to manage the long-term operation and scheduled maintenance of electrical equipment, such as for golf carts at a pro shop. It’s in the interest of all concerned parties to maintain an accurate run-time records for carts in order to prevent lost revenue for the course or, worse yet, a mis-billed and unhappy customer.
Eagle Signal brand elapsed timers can be found hard at work in golf carts to monitor battery run time hours similar to a standard car’s odometer. Accurate power usage readings help ensure both a vehicle’s owners and users receive an accurate reckoning of its total use. That’s just good business.