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Sep 15, 2023

Membrane passes sound and blocks water for portables

Gore has introduced a microphone and speaker protection membrane that is

Gore has introduced a microphone and speaker protection membrane that is waterproof to 30m depth for portables and wearables, and acts as an air vent.

Gore GAW331 sound vent – Membrane passes sound and blocks water for portables

"GAW331 protects devices against liquid ingress and maintains high-performance acoustics at levels not previously achieved," said Gore product specialist Shigeharu Murayama. "It does so by holding transmission loss below 2 dB at 1kHz with a 3mm vent diameter."

It complies with ISO 22810, withstanding immersion at 30 metres for 10 minutes without leaking, and gets IP67 (1m 30min) and IP68 (10m for 60min and 30m for 10min) under IEC 60529 – check the spec for test vent size.

As a vent, typical airflow is 285ml/min/cm2 at 70mbar pressure difference.

Goretex fans will not be surprised to hear that the key to this performance is down to a oleophobic expanded PTFE membrane.

"This extremely thin [0.28mm typ] black membrane with adhesive attachment is ideal for applications where housing space is limited," said Gore.

Standard size is 4.2 mm outer diameter, and custom sizes and shapes are available.

"Today's consumers expect reliable performance from their portable electronic devices, whether they are snorkelling with their camera or swimming with their smartwatch," said Gore product specialist Sara Ellis.