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> NEMA Enclosure Types
This document provides general
information on the definitions of NEMA Enclosure Types.
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and can design and produce chassis, enclosures, displays,
and keyboards which meet any of the various NEMA standards.
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Definitions
[From NEMA 250-1997]
In Non-Hazardous
Locations, the specific enclosure Types, their applications,
and the environmental conditions they are designed to
protect against, when completely and properly installed,
are as follows:
Type
1 - Enclosures constructed for indoor use to provide
a degree of protection to personnel against incidental
contact with the enclosed equipment and to provide a
degree of protection against falling dirt.
Type
2 - Enclosures constructed for indoor use to provide
a degree of protection to personnel against incidental
contact with the enclosed equipment, to provide a degree
of protection against falling dirt, and to provide a
degree of protection against dripping and light splashing
of liquids.
Type
3 - Enclosures constructed for either indoor or
outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel
against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment;
to provide a degree of protection against falling dirt,
rain, sleet, snow, and windblown dust; and that will
be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the
enclosure.
Type
3R - Enclosures constructed for either indoor or
outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel
against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment;
to provide a degree of protection against falling dirt,
rain, sleet, and snow; and that will be undamaged by
the external formation of ice on the enclosure.
Type
3S - Enclosures constructed for either indoor or
outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel
against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment;
to provide a degree of protection against falling dirt,
rain, sleet, snow, and windblown dust; and in which
the external mechanism(s) remain operable when ice laden.
Type
4 - Enclosures constructed for either indoor or
outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel
against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment;
to provide a degree of protection against falling dirt,
rain, sleet, snow, windblown dust, splashing water,
and hose-directed water; and that will be undamaged
by the external formation of ice on the enclosure.
Type
4X - Enclosures constructed for either indoor or
outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel
against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment;
to provide a degree of protection against falling dirt,
rain, sleet, snow, windblown dust, splashing water,
hose-directed water, and corrosion; and that will be
undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure.
Type
5 - Enclosures constructed for indoor use to provide
a degree of protection to personnel against incidental
contact with the enclosed equipment; to provide a degree
of protection against falling dirt; against settling
airborne dust, lint, fibres, and flyings; and to provide
a degree of protection against dripping and light splashing
of liquids.
Type
6 - Enclosures constructed for either indoor or
outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel
against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment;
to provide a degree of protection against falling dirt;
against hose-directed water and the entry of water during
occasional temporary submersion at a limited depth;
and that will be undamaged by the external formation
of ice on the enclosure.
Type
6P - Enclosures constructed for either indoor or
outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel
against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment;
to provide a degree of protection against falling dirt;
against hose-directed water and the entry of water during
prolonged submersion at a limited depth; and that will
be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the
enclosure.
Type
12 - Enclosures constructed (without knockouts)
for indoor use to provide a degree of protection to
personnel against incidental contact with the enclosed
equipment; to provide a degree of protection against
falling dirt; against circulating dust, lint, fibres,
and flyings; and against dripping and light splashing
of liquids.
Type
12K - Enclosures constructed (with knockouts) for
indoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel
against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment;
to provide a degree of protection against falling dirt;
against circulating dust, lint, fibres, and flyings;
and against dripping and light splashing of liquids.
Type
13 - Enclosures constructed for indoor use to provide
a degree of protection to personnel against incidental
contact with the enclosed equipment; to provide a degree
of protection against falling dirt; against circulating
dust, lint, fibres, and flyings; and against the spraying,
splashing, and seepage of water, oil, and non-corrosive
coolants.
Comparison Between NEMA Enclosure Type Numbers and IEC
Enclosure
Classification Designations
IEC
Publication 60529 Classification of Degrees of Protection
Provided by Enclosures provides a system for specifying
the enclosures of electrical equipment on the basis
of the degree of protection provided by the enclosure.
IEC 60529 does not specify degrees of protection against
mechanical damage of equipment, risk of explosions,
or conditions such as moisture (produced for example
by condensation), corrosive vapours, fungus, or vermin.
The NEMA Standard for Enclosures for Electrical Equipment
does test for environmental conditions such as corrosion,
rust, icing, oil, and coolants. For this reason, and
because the test and evaluations for other characteristics
are not identical, the IEC Enclosure Classification
Designations cannot be exactly equated with the enclosure
Type numbers in this Standard.
The
IEC designation consists of the letters IP followed
by two numerals. The first characteristic numeral
indicates the degree of protection provided by the enclosure
with respect to persons and solid foreign objects entering
the enclosure. The second characteristic numeral
indicates the degree of protection provided by the enclosure
with respect to the harmful ingress of water.
Table
A-1 provides an equivalent conversion from the enclosure
Type numbers in this Standard to the IEC Enclosure Classification
Designations. The enclosure type numbers meet
or exceed the test requirements for the associated IEC
Classification; for this reason Table A-1 cannot be
used to convert from IEC Classifications to enclosure
Type numbers.
This comparison is based on tests specified in IEC Publication
60529.
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