Employee Portal 
The IK code, also known as the degree of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against external mechanical impacts, refers to a classification that makes it possible to indicate the degree of protection that an enclosure has against mechanical impacts that may damage the product or the electrical installation it is protecting, as is the case with enclosures.
The IK code, also known as the degree of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against external mechanical impacts, refers to a classification that makes it possible to indicate the degree of protection that an enclosure has against mechanical impacts that may damage the product or the electrical installation it is protecting, as is the case with enclosures.
These types of products/materials are usually located in areas where they are exposed to outdoor conditions, or where they may undergo impacts. It is therefore necessary to test them against these factors and to provide information on how long they can withstand without breaking and, furthermore, to continue to provide an acceptable level of safety, in particular, by complying with the dielectric strength and the degree of protection against solid and liquid objects (IP) indicated by the manufacturer.
This code is composed of two numbers ranging from 0 to 10. The different codes are listed below with their impact energy:
Verification process/resistance check
All electrical product standards refer to this degree of protection by indicating the test conditions to be performed and the acceptance criteria, and, in order to describe how the test is to be carried out, they make reference to the IEC 62208 international standard on Degrees of protection provided by enclosures of electrical materials against external mechanical impacts (IK Code)
To verify these degrees of protection, a test must be carried out by means of a test hammer such as that set forth in the IEC 62262 standard, and following the acceptance criteria of the UNE-EN 62208 standards, for enclosures and UNE 20315 for sockets-outlets.
The test consists of fastening the sample on a support similar to that used for normal use.
Then, the sample is hit at several points on its front side with the hammer set forth in the standard, the number of times as specified by the application standard. This number is determined by the dimensions of the sample and by how much it protrudes from the wall, meaning that, if it exceeds a certain limit, it must also be hit laterally.
The impact energy (in Joules) for each degree is determined by the mass of the hammer and the height from which it is to be dropped.
The hammer must have certain constructive characteristics: type of material, polyamide or steel, mass and shape of the striking end.
Once the test has been carried out, and having checked that the impacts received have been produced and spread over the entire surface of the enclosure, the latter must retain its IP code and its dielectric strength, without damage having been caused to the covers or doors.
In Solera´s case, our products have the IK07, IK08, IK09 and IK10 degrees of protection, in different types of products, sockets-outlets and enclosures. This is a way of guaranteeing the reliability of our enclosures and to ensure that all types of installations are safe.