Designing for Toughness: How to Specify & Achieve the Right IK Rating

China Manufacturing Decoded

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1M ago 36:40

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It's episode 300! Host Adrian and Sofeast head of NPD Paul Adams dig into IK ratings, what they measure (impact energy in joules), why they matter for real-world product abuse (drops, kicks, tool strikes), and how to connect use-case, environment, materials, and system-level design choices (wall thickness, ribs, radii, gate location) to hit targets like IK06–IK10.

You’ll hear practical examples (from light switches to job-site drills), polymer options (PP, HIPS, ABS, PC/ABS blends), and environment trade-offs (temperature, UV, chemicals, cost) so your spec says more than “make it rugged.”

Episode Sections:

00:12 – Introduction: designing for toughness via IK rating
01:58 – IK vs IP: ingress ≠ impact toughness
05:16 – What is IK? Impact energy (J); Izod/Charpy context
08:33 – IK scale overview: IK00 → IK10 (~20 J)
09:18 – Start with real-world use before materials
10:15 – Low-impact examples (e.g., light switches)
11:56 – Mid-impact examples (bench drops, tools falling)
12:50 – High-impact / IK10: sledgehammer territory
14:02 – Specify toughness explicitly: choose an IK level
17:02 – Mapping joules to IK (≈0.35 J to 20 J)
19:34 – Materials at IK06 (~1 J): PP, HIPS, ABS, PA
21:47 – Materials at IK09 (~10 J): high-impact ABS, PC/ABS, modified PA
25:51 – Designing for IK: thickness, ribs, radii
27:18 – Molding realities: gate location, weld lines
29:26 – Environment trade-offs: temperature, UV, chemicals, cost
33:14 – Same IK, different designs: oil vs building site
35:16 – Key takeaway: IK is a system rating
35:40 – Wrapping up