Dust Testing At Cranage EMC And Safety – Cranage

[Liz Seyi]

What adverse impacts does dust ingress have on electronic products?
In today’s world, it is customary for domestic, public, and commercial spaces alike to be heavily populated with electronic products.
A study undertaken several years ago by the insurance company Aviva, for example, found that the average UK home contained about 10 Internet-enabled devices. Furthermore, the average number of connected appliances per UK home was found to have gone up by more than a quarter (26%) over the preceding three years.
With these electronic items encompassing such popular products as desktop computers, tablets, smart TVs, games consoles, and even thermostats and security cameras, it is fair to say that UK homes and businesses greatly depend on all manner of electronics remaining functional and reliable.
If, however, there is one thing that could imperil such functionality and reliability, it is dust ingress. These tiny particles are everywhere and unavoidable, but if they are allowed to get into inanimate objects, various negative consequences could arise from this.
Dust can cause a wide range of undesirable effects
Much of the public conversation around dust in residential, commercial, and industrial environments has understandably concerned itself with the potential health effects for humans using such spaces, such as respiratory-related illnesses or the development of serious allergies.
However, with dust also able to hide and accumulate within the sockets, ports, and other in-between spaces of electronic products, it can have an adverse impact on those devices over time.
To give the simple example of a laptop computer, when dust particles get into and accumulate within such a device, it can cause the internal components of the computer to retain heat. An internal build-up of dust can also make it more difficult for the internal fans to dissipate heat from the system. So, over time, the given computer system could become less efficient.
Steps may be made within a given space – such as the typical office – to increase airflow to that space, so that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can pick up the airborne particles. However, even if this happens, such heightened airflow can actually cause dust to accumulate even more quickly within electronic products.
You can therefore probably begin to see how there is no real alternative to designing and developing electronic devices to ensure they are not susceptible to dust ingress. Playing a vital part in this are environmental test processes such as those that our facilities at Cranage EMC and Safety make possible.

Place your faith in Cranage EMC and Safety for dust ingress and other environmental testing
With dust that gets into electronic products potentially able to cause a variety of undesirable effects – ranging from overheating through insulation, to greater difficulties when it comes to repairing or restoring such devices – it is crucial for product manufacturers to follow the right practices for preventing dust ingress.
Our purpose-built environmental test facility at Cranage EMC and Safety allows for dust ingress testing to be carried out for IP5X and IP6X. This forms part of our broader suite of environmental testing services that also encompass the likes of water infiltration and shock and vibration testing.
To learn more about these services and their potential relevance to your electronic products as a manufacturer, please feel free to call us today on [phone]. You are also welcome to request a quote from us online, using our straightforward contact form.