Draper, Inc.

Aug. 16, 2021 - Since Draper® introduced the Foundation® Mount System for LED, we've often focused on the fact that it was designed specifically with installers in mind. Speed and precision are built-in by design, so regardless of the LED display size or brand, all assembly and installation steps can be easily managed by the installation technicians.

In this blog series entitled "Did You Know?" we are sharing specific examples of how our team did exactly that. In this sixth installment, we will look at the Foundation trim package Ingress Protection rating, and what it means for your project.

An Ingress Protection (IP) rating is an international numeric classification to indicate the degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against environmental conditions. It provides a means of specifying the capacity of an enclosure to protect its contents from external solids and liquids in accordance with IEC 60598-1:2003.

Basically, it's a number that classifies a product's ability to prevent solids and liquids from getting inside the product and causing damage, malfunction, or injury to the user. For example, you may have heard that your new iPhone has an IP68 rating, but what does that mean?

The IP rating has two digits. The first (6 in the case of your iPhone) determines the level of protection against solid items. The second number (8) determines protection against water. In this case, the iPhone is dust tight and can be submerged in water for long periods of time. (You may see this referred to as water proof but it is actually water resistant—nothing is actually "water proof.")

The Foundation has a much lower rating than the iPhone's IP68, but it is still useful in reference to product safety. To determine the Foundation's IP rating, we need to know the size of the vent holes in the trim. These vent holes measure 6mm (1/4") wide and this 6mm or nearly 1/4" is small enough to prevent fingers or most other items from being forced through the holes and getting them stuck or contacting something inside that could create an injury. Our vent holes' maximum width of 6mm provides a rating of IP20. The 2 represents protection from objects greater than 12.5mm (1/2") in size and the 0 represents no protection against water because the vent holes across the top of the mount would allow water to flow through the trim. Given the Foundation is never installed outdoors or in other environments where water is present, this is not a drawback. The trim's IP20 rating actually ensures that we are providing a safe and sound solution for all applications.

To learn more about the Foundation installation process, and how much easier it really is, click here to watch a series of videos.

The Foundation is available for any nearly any direct view LED panel.