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A Case Study on GORE® Pressure Vents in a Smartphone

Learn how we solved the speaker distortion problems of a Chinese smartphone OEM, sampled products, and ramped up mass production - all within one month.

A Case Study on GORE® Pressure Vents in a Smartphone

Learn how design enhancements of our pressure vents improved the robustness and reliability of a phone by preventing water ingress.

A Case Study on GORE® Pressure Vents in a Smartphone

Learn how we eliminated speaker distortion and improved sound quality by achieving superior pressure equalization.

Rapid environmental changes can lead to pressure differentials between inside and outside of an electronic device. GORE^® Pressure Vents provide superb reliability through exceptional balance of airflow and water protection.

When it comes to ingress protection, among the most vulnerable areas of a smartphone are the openings in the phone’s housing that contain the device’s audio components, particularly the microphone and speakers.

According to Gary Chan, a Gore application engineer for portable electronic venting, Gore’s vents are in more than one billion smartphones, wearables, and other consumer devices around the world.

Today’s consumers expect to be able to use their full-featured mobile devices anywhere, whether they are skiing on top of a mountain, talking on the phone while running through a rainstorm, or taking underwater pictures in the Caribbean.

Electronic devices with audio components must include openings in their housings to enable sound waves to be transmitted. Having a durably rugged housing for your portable electronic device protects the internal electronics from environmental contaminants. The International Standard IEC 60529 defines specific levels of protection for enclosures with electronic voltage not exceeding 72.5 kilovolts. The requirements outlined in the IEC 60529 standard do not adequately provide consistent testing of the protective vents needed for portable electronic devices. W. L.

A critical aspect of vent selection begins with defining the level of protection your application, device or housing requires.

IP ratings cannot be “converted” to NEMA ratings, since NEMA requires additional testing not included in IP. However, there are minimum NEMA ratings that will meet or exceed a given IP code.

The new GORE® Acoustic Vents Product Model GAW342 lets you take your mobile devices to the next level with greater contamination protection and deeper immersion capabilities while maintaining excellent acoustic performance and consistency.

The International Standard IEC 60529 defines specific tests used to verify that an enclosure meets the requirements for ingress protection against particulates and liquids. W. L. Gore & Associates has developed additional protocols to test for IPx4 compliance that address these issues and mirror real-world conditions more effectively.