Achieving an IP67 Rating for Touchscreen Displays

Smart water dispensers, under-sink filtration systems, fridge water stations, and bottle-filling kiosks all have something in common: they put sensitive electronics right next to flowing water. As a hydration-focused designer, you quickly learn that it is not the filter cartridge that fails first in a modern system; it is usually the user interface. A cracked gasket, a poorly sealed display window, or a leaky connector can turn a beautiful touchscreen into a fogged, flickering liability.

That is exactly where an IP67 rating becomes more than a buzzword.

It is a disciplined way to prove that a touchscreen display can live safely beside faucets, sinks, and wet hands. In this article, I will walk through what IP67 really means for touchscreens, how to design for it, how to test it, and how to balance protection level, cost, and user experience in hydration systems and other wet environments.

IP67 In Plain Language

Ingress Protection (IP) ratings are defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission under IEC 60529. They are a global standard for describing how well an enclosure keeps out solids like dust and liquids like water. Multiple engineering sources, including Epectec, Keystone, Antaira, and Polycase, emphasize that IP ratings are far more precise than vague marketing terms such as “waterproof” or “splash resistant.”

An IP code has two digits. The first digit, from 0 to 6, is for solids. A zero means no special protection; a six means dust tight, so no dust is allowed to get inside the enclosure. The second digit, from 0 up to 9 or 9K, is for liquids. Lower numbers block only dripping or light splashes. Higher numbers resist jets, immersion, or even high-pressure, high-temperature spray.

An IP67 rating combines the top level of dust protection with robust water protection. The “6” means the touchscreen enclosure is completely dust tight. The “7” means the display survives temporary immersion in water at a depth of about 3.3 ft for around 30 minutes, with no water ingress that harms functionality. Keystone, Industrial Physics, LISUN, and several IP testing specialists describe this same combination as the reference definition of IP67.

That matters in bathrooms, kitchens, utility rooms, and outdoor kiosks. Around a sink or filter faucet, water does not always arrive in neat droplets. It can drip down from refillable bottles, pool on horizontal surfaces, or be sprayed during cleaning. IP67 is designed to handle accidental submersion and heavy splash, not just a passing mist.

IP67 Versus Other IP Ratings

To understand whether IP67 is the right target for a hydration device’s touchscreen, it helps to compare it with neighboring ratings. Sources like Predictable Designs, Ateq, Antaira, CrownTV, and LED-lighting guides consistently describe common IP levels this way.

IP Code	Solids Protection	Water Protection	Typical Behaviors And Uses
IP54	Limited dust ingress, not fully dust tight	Splashing water from any direction	Indoor products that see light dust and occasional splashes; basic consumer enclosures
IP65	Dust protected (no harmful dust deposits)	Low-pressure water jets from any direction	Outdoor LED lights and signage, housings exposed to rain and washdown spray
IP67	Dust tight (no dust ingress)	Temporary immersion at about 3.3 ft depth for roughly 30 minutes	Smartphones, athletic watches, outdoor controllers, industrial devices near water
IP68	Dust tight	Continuous immersion beyond about 3.3 ft, depth and time specified by manufacturer	Deep-water cameras, rugged sensors, specialized underwater equipment

Ateq and InterTech note that IP68 always requires the manufacturer to specify the exact depth and duration, since the standard leaves those open. For most home and light commercial hydration systems, you do not need multi-hour immersion at greater depths; you need confidence against spills, wet wiping, pooled water, and the occasional dropped unit in a sink. That is why many engineering guides, including Predictable Designs and Boulder Engineering Studio, treat IP67 as a practical upper bound for mainstream consumer devices.

IP67 Versus IPX7

Another term you will see is IPX7. The “X” means the product has been tested only for water performance, not dust, or at least the dust digit was not declared. Sherpa Design explains that IPX7 uses the same immersion test as the “7” in IP67: about 3.3 ft of water for 30 minutes. For touchscreens on water appliances that also live with flour, coffee grounds, or outdoor dust, IP67 is preferable because it explicitly guarantees both dust and water protection.

Why IP67 Matters For Hydration Touchscreens

In the hydration world, reliability is not just about uptime; it is about water safety and trust. If a touchscreen fails on a smart filtration system, a user may not be able to flush a new cartridge, choose chilled versus ambient water, or see an alert that a filter is overdue. Worse, a leak path into the electronics compartment can become a hidden moisture reservoir that encourages corrosion, biofilm, or mold around surfaces that sit near drinking water, even if they are technically outside the wetted flow path.

IPC International data cited in an outdoor signage guide from CrownTV indicates that about three quarters of electronic failures trace back to moisture, dust, and extreme temperatures. Water filtration and home hydration products combine all three: humidity and splashes from faucets, fine kitchen dust, and temperature swings under sinks or in garages. IP67-rated displays help reduce that risk dramatically.

Designers of industrial networking gear, battery packs, LED luminaires, and automotive modules have been working to IP67 for years, as documented by Antaira, Large Battery, and multiple IP test-equipment suppliers. Applying that same rigor to hydration touch interfaces means a home water dispenser benefits from the same sealing philosophy as a rugged outdoor router.

For the end user, the benefits are very tangible.

They can tap through menus with wet hands, wipe the glass aggressively with a damp cloth, and not worry that a small puddle near the faucet will quietly seep into the electronics behind the display.

Where Water Sneaks In On Touchscreen Assemblies

When engineers sit down to “make a display IP67,” it is tempting to think of the problem as just sealing the front glass. In reality, several distinct interfaces must be controlled.

Orient Display points out that waterproofing can be defined at different layers: the entire product enclosure, the interface between the touch cover glass and the customer’s housing, the interface between the touch sensor and the TFT display, and even the printed circuit board itself. If any of those weak links is left unprotected, water will find it.

The front cover to housing joint is usually the most obvious risk. This is the perimeter where the glass or plastic lens meets a plastic or metal bezel. Companies like Orient Display and Boulder Engineering Studio describe using high-grade double-sided adhesive tapes, often from 3M, as a continuous bonding gasket. These tapes function like a flat O-ring, creating a closed loop around the active display area.

Between the touch screen and the TFT display, many designs use optically clear adhesive, or OCA, to bond the layers. This improves readability by eliminating the air gap, and Fortec US notes that such optical bonding also reduces internal reflections and internal condensation, making outdoor screens more readable and more resistant to moisture ingress. However, Orient Display cautions that the sensor area can still be exposed at the edges and recommends applying a room-temperature vulcanizing sealant bead around the periphery to block side ingress.

Beyond the front stack, the printed circuit board may need its own protection. Conformal coating, described by Boulder Engineering Studio and also used by Orient Display for “three-proof” protection, applies a thin transparent polymer film over the electronics. It does not make the board itself IP67 in free space, but it gives substantial extra margin if a trace amount of moisture ever gets into the enclosure.

Finally, do not forget the “small” features. Buttons that live next to the screen, status LEDs, microphones, pressure sensors, vents, and especially connectors and cable entries all pierce the protective shell. Guides from Predictable Designs, Antaira, and Large Battery repeatedly show that unsealed connectors or poorly integrated grommets are frequent root causes of IP failures, even when the main housing looks perfect.

Design Strategies To Reach IP67

Achieving IP67 is not a test you pass at the end of a project. Epectec, Predictable Designs, and Polycase all stress that it is a design-first discipline. The most successful teams build IP thinking into their concept sketches, enclosure layout, and component selection from day one.

Start With A Clear Exposure Story

Before drawing a single gasket, define the water story for your touchscreen. Predictable Designs and Boulder Engineering Studio recommend writing down several specifics: how often the product gets wet, whether water arrives as splashes, jets, immersion, or steam, how long water lingers, whether users will clean it with warm soapy water or high-pressure spray, and whether the device might ever sit at the bottom of a sink or outdoor puddle.

Butler Technologies makes the same point for wearables and smart textiles. Their waterproofing choices depend on whether the electronics see occasional sweat, rain, or full submersion during water sports. For a smart filtration tap display, the exposure might include constant drips and frequent wiping but rarely true immersion. For a freestanding bottle-filling kiosk in a public plaza, the display might face rain, snow, and even deliberate hose-down cleaning.

Once the exposure is concrete, you can confirm that IP67 is both necessary and sufficient. Many indoor devices can be safe and reliable at lower ratings like IP54 or IP65, while some industrial washdown or marine applications demand IP68 or even IP69K. Large Battery and LED-lighting experts emphasize that overspecifying IP ratings adds complexity and cost, so “as high as possible” is not automatically the right choice.

Shape And Material Of The Enclosure

Designing a waterproof enclosure is about controlling every potential ingress path. Summaries from Jiga’s waterproof enclosure guide, Polycase, and Multiple IP design resources converge on several themes. Continuous sealing surfaces are far more reliable than interrupted ones. Smooth, flat landings around a gasket or adhesive bead help ensure even compression. Avoiding thin walls, sharp inside corners, or long unsupported spans reduces warping that can open tiny gaps over time.

Material selection matters for long-term seal performance. Epectec and Sherpa Design note that plastics tend to relax, creep, and flex under clamping force. Trying to “fix” a marginal seal by simply cranking down screws often makes things worse, because the plastic deforms and pulls away from the gasket. Reinforcing ribs, thoughtful boss placement, and sometimes switching to metal in critical areas provide stiffness so the seal line stays flat.

Sealing The Front Cover To The Housing

For touch displays, the front cover-to-housing interface is usually the primary sealing plane. Orient Display often relies on double-sided adhesive from companies like 3M as a perimeter gasket that both bonds and seals the cover. Butler Technologies describes a similar approach for waterproof membrane switches, where a picture-frame gasket is designed to match the stack thickness and create a continuous seal.

To meet IP67, Butler notes that designs typically reserve at least about 0.125 inches of adhesive width (using 3M 200MP) around the perimeter of the circuit. That adhesive forms the effective seal path and must be continuous, free of voids or cutouts, and compressed evenly by the enclosure geometry. The same logic applies around a touchscreen window on a hydration appliance. Leaving cutouts or narrow sections of adhesive at corners is a classic way to create a leak path.

Boulder Engineering Studio further warns that contaminants in the seal path, even something as small as a single human hair, can create a micro-leak. That is why IP67 display designs must be coupled with clean, controlled assembly processes and cosmetic inspection of the seal land for mold witness lines, scratches, and debris.

Sealing Within The Display Stack

Once the front perimeter is sealed, you still need to prevent water creeping between layers of the display stack and reaching sensitive traces. Optical bonding with a clear adhesive, as Fortec US explains, removes the internal air gap between the LCD and cover glass. This not only improves readability in bright environments by reducing reflections, but also eliminates a volume where moisture could condense or circulate.

However, optical bonding can leave the edges vulnerable, especially if the adhesive does not fully flood to the perimeter. Orient Display recommends adding an RTV sealant bead around the edge of the bonded assembly so that even if water makes it past the outer gasket, it cannot travel laterally to the electronics.

In outdoor deployments, such as digital signs near bottle-filling stations or public water kiosks, Fortec also highlights the role of UV-resistant coatings on the front surface to prevent material degradation from sunlight. If UV damage leads to micro-cracks at the edges of the display window over time, that can eventually compromise the IP67 seal, so surface durability and waterproofing are tightly linked.

Protecting The Electronics Behind The Screen

There is a spectrum of internal protection strategies. At the lightest end, Boulder Engineering Studio and Orient Display use conformal coatings on PCBAs. Thin films of acrylic, silicone, or parylene are brushed, sprayed, or dipped onto the board to protect against moisture and chemicals while adding minimal thermal resistance and allowing future rework.

For more extreme conditions, Boulder and Large Battery describe potting: filling the entire electronics cavity with epoxy or silicone gel. This can make moisture ingress almost irrelevant because the electronics are encapsulated in a solid block, and it also provides excellent vibration resistance. However, potting traps heat and can make thermal management challenging, especially in motor windings, power electronics, or LED backlights. Large Battery notes that encapsulated designs often require thermally conductive compounds and careful analysis to avoid overheating.

From a hydration-system standpoint, a hybrid approach is often appropriate. The touchscreen display and front electronics can be fully sealed to IP67, while power supplies or high-voltage components are isolated in a separate dry compartment. Sherpa Design calls this intentional wet and dry zoning, where some volumes may be allowed to get damp as long as critical electronics remain protected. When combined with conformal coating, this can provide robust protection without making the entire unit unserviceable.

Managing Connectors, Buttons, And Vents

Every opening through the enclosure deserves the same IP-level attention as the display window. Antaira’s work on IP67 industrial networking devices highlights specialized M12 connectors, integrated gaskets, and coatings to keep water out even with repeated connection cycles. iCONN Systems demonstrates IP67 connectors and cable assemblies submerged for 30 minutes at about 3.3 ft depth while still powering an LED without interruption. The key lesson from their tests is that the overmold-to-cable bond is critical; if water can wick along the cable jacket under the overmold, the overall rating fails.

For hydration touchscreens, that translates into careful connector selection and integration. Use connectors with published IP67 ratings, follow the manufacturer’s exact panel-cutout geometry, and support cables so that strain does not pull on seals. If you must have a charging or data port that cannot be wet, Butler Technologies suggests making it a removable or snap-on module so the user can detach it before cleaning or washing.

Buttons, if used alongside the display, should either sit behind flexible membranes or be fully gasketed. Predictable Designs notes that high waterproofing levels, including IPX7 and IPX8, often force designers to avoid exposed buttons entirely and instead use capacitive touch behind a continuous surface, exactly the paradigm of a modern touchscreen.

Pressure equalization vents are another subtle risk. They are often needed to prevent enclosure breathing that can stress seals as temperature changes. When used, they must themselves be IP-rated and positioned so that direct water jets or pooling water do not sit on them continuously.

Ensuring Touch Performance With Wet Hands

A waterproof touchscreen that refuses to respond when the user’s hands are wet is not very helpful next to a sink. Orient Display emphasizes the need for touch controller ICs specifically tuned for wet and saltwater operation. That tuning helps the system distinguish between deliberate touches and conductive films of water or stray droplets.

For hydration systems where users may have mineral-rich water, electrolyte drinks, or soap films on their fingertips, tuning is even more important. The controller must ignore random water droplets sliding down the glass while still recognizing a finger trace, and it must maintain that performance through the thickness of the cover glass and adhesive stack that you chose for sealing.

From a design perspective, this means close collaboration between mechanical and electrical teams. Every extra layer of adhesive or coating in front of the sensor changes the capacitive signature. IP67 demands more material in the stack; the touch firmware must be calibrated to match.

How IP67 Testing Actually Works For Displays

Because IP67 is defined by test performance, not by theory, every serious project eventually meets a test chamber. Multiple sources, including Keystone, Industrial Physics, LISUN, LEDPhotometer, LeakMaster, Cincinnati Test Systems, and InterTech describe both classical water immersion tests and modern air-based leak tests.

Water Immersion For The “7”

The water part of IP67 is conceptually simple. The display assembly is submerged to a depth of about 3.3 ft for 30 minutes. LISUN’s testing guide for IP67 chambers adds important details. Water temperature is usually controlled between about 59°F and 95°F to avoid thermal shock that could crack materials or create non-representative gaps. Depth is monitored with calibrated sensors, and timing is automated to reduce human error.

Boulder Engineering Studio shows that you do not always need exotic hardware to perform a meaningful in-house check. They use a transparent polycarbonate tube filled with water to a 3.3 ft column, suspend the device at the bottom for about 30 minutes, and place water-sensitive paper inside the enclosure. The color change of that paper clearly reveals even tiny leaks and their location along the seal path.

After the immersion, devices are dried externally, disassembled as needed, and inspected for internal moisture. Functional tests verify that the touchscreen and backlight still operate correctly. Sherpa Design notes that some products intentionally allow water into non-critical zones, so pass–fail criteria must align with the zoning strategy defined in design.

Dust Testing For The “6”

For the dust part of IP67, the display or enclosure is placed in a sealed chamber filled with fine dust, often talc-like particles. LISUN and LEDPhotometer describe dust tests where a mild vacuum is applied to the enclosure to encourage dust to try to enter, and the test runs for several hours. At the end, the product is opened and inspected, and to earn a “6” rating it must be completely dust tight.

Though these tests do not always look as dramatic as roaring water jets, they matter for hydration systems installed in kitchens, workshops, or commercial spaces where fine powders or construction dust can migrate into enclosures. Dust on circuit boards can create tracking paths for moisture and reduce creepage distances, especially in high-voltage systems.

Non-Destructive Air-Based Leak Testing

Traditional water immersion tests have a drawback: they are relatively slow and often destructive, especially for products that are not meant to be opened after assembly. Industrial Physics and LeakMaster describe modern air-based IP67-equivalent leak testing that solves this problem.

In a typical chamber-based air leak test, a sealed touchscreen assembly goes into a rigid test chamber. The chamber is pressurized with air, and high-resolution instrumentation measures the pressure over time. If the assembly is perfectly sealed, the chamber pressure stays constant. If there is a leak path into the device, air flows into it and the chamber pressure drops by a measurable amount. Because air is much less viscous than water, Industrial Physics notes that it can find leak paths up to about twenty-five times faster than water, enabling shorter tests.

LeakMaster’s volumetric-fill approach works similarly, but with a pre-metered volume of air released into the chamber and stabilization periods built into the cycle. Both methods are non-destructive, extremely sensitive to small leaks, and can deliver pass–fail decisions in seconds. Cincinnati Test Systems and InterTech provide production-grade instruments that integrate these techniques into automated lines.

For hydration touchscreens, this is invaluable. You can test every display assembly coming out of your line for IP67-level seal integrity without throwing away units after water immersion. Water immersion can then be reserved for periodic validation and certification runs.

Common IP67 Failure Modes On Touch Displays

Several engineering teams and labs have published postmortems on why seemingly well-designed IP67 products fail tests. Sherpa Design, Boulder Engineering Studio, Butler Technologies, Predictable Designs, and Fortec all highlight recurring patterns.

Uneven gasket compression is a leading issue. If enclosure geometry or screw patterns do not distribute force evenly, some sections of a gasket will be over-compressed while others barely touch. Over-compression can permanently deform elastomers, while under-compression leaves clear leak paths. Tight internal corners, abrupt changes in land width, or flexible covers exaggerate this problem.

Surface defects also play a major role. Mold witness lines, ejector-pin marks, or rough textures under a seal path create micro channels for water. Handling scratches introduced during production can have the same effect. Boulder notes that even a single hair or tiny debris trapped in the seal can defeat an otherwise robust design.

Material aging is another long-term threat. Sherpa Design observes that plastics relax over time, especially under constant clamping force and elevated temperature. The seal that passed IP67 when new may lose compression after months or years if creeping plastic pulls away from the gasket. This is one reason why they recommend aging assemblies before formal IP testing when possible.

At the assembly level, manufacturing variation and cleanliness are decisive. Gaskets installed slightly twisted, adhesives inconsistently applied, or connectors not fully seated can all introduce failures. That is why serious IP67 programs pair robust design with fixtures and automation to standardize how parts come together, as seen in InterTech’s turnkey fixture approach and LISUN’s automated sequencing.

IP67 Or IP68 For Hydration Devices?

With all this effort going into sealing, it is natural to ask whether aiming higher, such as IP68, is worth it. Multiple sources, including Ateq, InterTech, Predictable Designs, Large Battery, and Polycase, caution that moving from IP67 to IP68 is not a small step. It often demands an order-of-magnitude increase in design effort and cost.

IP67 defines a clear, relatively moderate immersion test. IP68 is more open-ended. The product must survive continuous immersion deeper than about 3.3 ft, but the exact depth and time are defined by the manufacturer and must be documented. In practice, IP68 designs for shallow depths still often involve heavy overmolding, full potting, laser-welded metal housings, or other techniques that make the product effectively hermetic and non-serviceable.

Predictable Designs points out that high waterproof ratings severely constrain exterior-accessing parts. Buttons must operate through membranes, ports may require silicone plugs that are removed only during use, and displays need carefully gasketed windows and expensive sealing processes.

For most home and commercial hydration systems, the realistic water story does not justify that level. These devices are rarely meant to operate while sitting at the bottom of a deep pool. Instead, they face splashes, spills, cleaning, and maybe brief submersion in a shallow sink or floor puddle. That is exactly the niche where IP67 earns its reputation as a sweet spot: strong environmental robustness without completely locking down serviceability, size, and cost.

A Practical Design Checklist For Hydration Touchscreens

If you are specifying or developing a touchscreen display for a smart water filtration or hydration system, you can think through the path to IP67 in a simple sequence. First, write down the real-world exposure conditions and decide whether IP67 is truly required or if IP65 or IP54 would suffice. Second, map every interface where water or dust could enter, including the cover-to-housing joint, the internal display stack, connectors, vents, and any mechanical controls near the screen.

Third, choose enclosure geometries and materials that support continuous, flat sealing paths. Design gaskets or adhesive frames that fully surround the active area with enough width, as Butler’s 0.125 inch adhesive guidance suggests for similar circuits, and ensure clamping hardware will compress them evenly. Fourth, coordinate with your display vendor on optical bonding, perimeter sealing beads, and touch controller tuning for wet-finger performance, especially if your product will be used with soap or mineral-rich water on users’ hands.

Fifth, decide on internal protection: conformal coating, localized potting, or full encapsulation where needed, keeping in mind heat dissipation and future servicing. Sixth, plan for testing early. Budget for at least one accredited lab campaign to certify IP67, but also invest in non-destructive air leak testing in your own line so you can verify every unit. Finally, align your user instructions with the rating you achieved. If your display is IP67, you can confidently allow cleaning with a damp cloth and incidental splashes, but you still may want to discourage direct high-pressure spray or prolonged hot steam if you did not design and test for IP69K.

Health, Safety, And User Trust

From a water wellness perspective, robust waterproofing of touchscreens is about more than not having to replace a display. It reduces the chance that corrosion or partial shorts inside the control electronics will create erratic behavior in valves, pumps, or UV sterilization modules. It also helps keep the external surfaces around the user interface cleanable, without gaps where grime and moisture can stagnate.

When a family walks up to a filtration tap or bottle-filling station, they should not have to think about what is happening behind the glass. Clear, responsive controls and a dry, intact interface silently communicate that the system is under control. Behind the scenes, IP67-level design and testing are what make that quiet confidence possible.

In short, if you are building or specifying touchscreen displays for smart hydration systems, treat IP67 as your engineering ally. Define the environment honestly, design your stack and seals deliberately, and validate performance with meaningful tests. Done well, your touch displays will stand up to drips, splashes, and wipedowns for years, and your customers will enjoy reliable, safe hydration without ever needing to learn what those two little digits on the spec sheet mean.

References

About the author

Dr. Elena Brooks

Certified Water Quality SpecialistEnvironmental ScientistSmart Home Wellness Advocate

Environmental scientist turned smart home expert. Elena decodes the science of hydration to help modern families choose technology that supports long-term health.

Achieving IP67 Waterproof Rating for Touchscreen Displays