GORE® Pressure Vents
GORE® Pressure Vents are adhesive-mounted oleophobic ePTFE membrane vent components designed to rapidly equalize pressure differentials in sealed portable electronic devices — including smartphones, two-way radios, scanners, and wearables — while maintaining the required level of ingress protection. The portfolio spans seven grades: PE13 and PE12 (super high and high airflow for smartphones/two-way radios/scanners, IP67/IP68), PE8 and PE3 (medium airflow, IP67 base with IP68 available under certain design conditions), PE7 (low airflow wearable grade, IP67/IP68, ISO 22810 50 m @ 10 min), PE15 (wearable, IP67/IP68, ISO 22810 50 m @ 10 min), and PE17 (wearable, IP67/IP68, ISO 22810 100 m @ 15 min). All grades use ePTFE membrane with oleophobic treatment and silicone or acrylic adhesive, with adhesive temperature range of -40 °C to 100 °C.
Typical airflow at dp = 70 mbar ranges from 290 ml/min/cm² (PE7 and PE17) to 19,000 ml/min/cm² (PE13). Reference thickness ranges from 0.24 mm (PE12, PE13) to 0.42 mm (PE17). All grades meet RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU threshold requirements.
Key Properties
- Typical Airflow Range (dp = 70 mbar): 290 ml/min/cm² (PE7, PE17) to 19,000 ml/min/cm² (PE13)
- IP Rating Range: IP67 base (all grades); IP68 available (PE12, PE13, PE7, PE15, PE17 and PE3/PE8 with certain design conditions)
- ISO 22810 Deep Immersion: 50 m @ 10 min (PE15); 100 m @ 15 min (PE17)
- Reference Thickness Range: 0.24 mm (PE12, PE13) to 0.42 mm (PE17)
- Membrane Type / Characteristic: ePTFE / Oleophobic (all grades)
- Adhesive Temperature Range: -40 °C to 100 °C (all grades)
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Performance Characteristics by Grade
| Property | PE13 | PE12 | PE8 | PE3 | PE7 | PE15 | PE17 | Test Method |
| Application | Smartphones, Two-Way Radios, Scanners | Smartphones, Two-Way Radios, Scanners | Smartphones, Two-Way Radios, Scanners | Smartphones, Two-Way Radios, Scanners | Wearables | Wearables | Wearables | — |
| IP rating (IEC 529) | IP67, IP68 | IP67, IP68 | IP67 | IP67 | IP67, IP68 | IP67, IP68 | IP67, IP68 | IP ratings depend on housing design and part size |
| IP68 extended immersion | 1.5 m water @ 30 min | 1.5 m water @ 30 min | IP68 with certain custom design conditions (contact Gore) | IP68 with certain custom design conditions (contact Gore) | 2 m water @ 1 hr | — | — | — |
| ISO 22810 rating | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 50 m water @ 10 min | 100 m water @ 15 min | ISO 22810:2010(E) method 4.3.2 |
| Typical airflow (dp = 70 mbar) | 19,000 ml/min/cm² | 10,000 ml/min/cm² | 3,300 ml/min/cm² | 3,300 ml/min/cm² | 290 ml/min/cm² | 380 ml/min/cm² | 290 ml/min/cm² | — |
| Reference thickness | 0.24 mm | 0.24 mm | 0.27 mm | 0.27 mm | 0.34 mm | 0.29 mm | 0.42 mm | Actual thickness may vary due to compressibility of layers |
| Adhesive type | Silicone/Acrylic | Silicone/Acrylic | Acrylic | Acrylic | Silicone | Acrylic | Acrylic | Wide range of custom options available |
| Membrane type | ePTFE | ePTFE | ePTFE | ePTFE | ePTFE | ePTFE | ePTFE | — |
| Membrane characteristic | Oleophobic | Oleophobic | Oleophobic | Oleophobic | Oleophobic | Oleophobic | Oleophobic | — |
| Membrane color | White | White | White | White | Black | White | White | — |
| Support material | PET | PET | PET Non-woven | PET Non-woven | None | PET | PET | — |
| Part orientation | Internal mount, ePTFE facing environment | Internal mount, ePTFE facing environment | Internal mount, ePTFE facing environment | Internal mount, ePTFE facing environment | Interior or exterior of housing | Internal mount, ePTFE facing environment, back pressure on captive ring required | Internal mount, ePTFE facing environment, back pressure on captive ring required | PE7 can also be interior mounted with waterproof adhesive facing interior environment |
| Adhesive temperature range | -40 °C to 100 °C | -40 °C to 100 °C | -40 °C to 100 °C | -40 °C to 100 °C | -40 °C to 100 °C | -40 °C to 100 °C | -40 °C to 100 °C | — |
| RoHS | Meet threshold requirements | Meet threshold requirements | Meet threshold requirements | Meet threshold requirements | Meet threshold requirements | Meet threshold requirements | Meet threshold requirements | RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU |
Standard Part Numbers by Dimension
| Inner Diameter (mm) | Outer Diameter (mm) | PE13 | PE12 | PE8 | PE3 | PE7 | PE15 | PE17 |
| 2.0 | 5.0 | PE130205 | PE120205 | PE80205 | PE30205 | — | — | — |
| 3.0 | 6.0 | PE130306 | PE120306 | PE80306 | PE30306 | PE70306 | — | — |
| 5.0 | 9.4 | — | — | — | PE30509 | — | — | — |
| 5.5 | 10.2 | — | — | PE80510 | — | PE70510 | — | — |
| 1.6 | 3.8 | — | — | — | — | — | PE151.63.8 | — |
| 2.0 | 4.2 | — | — | — | — | — | PE152.04.2 | PE172.04.2 |
Part Cross-Section Construction
| Grade Group | Construction Layers |
| PE3, PE8, PE12 | ePTFE membrane (A) + Adhesive (B) + Non-woven support material (C) |
| PE7 | ePTFE membrane (A) + Adhesive (B) only (no support material) |
| PE13, PE15 | ePTFE membrane (A) + Adhesive (B) + PET support material (E) |
| PE17 | ePTFE membrane (A) + Adhesive (B) + PET support material (E) + Woven mesh (F) |
Compliance
- RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU — Meets threshold requirements (all grades)
- IEC 60529 — IP rating test standard
- ISO 22810:2010(E) test method 4.3.2 — Water resistance to overpressure (PE15, PE17)
- High-speed pressure equalization in smartphones with flexible touch-sensitive screens requiring rapid air evacuation upon screen deflection
- Pressure and condensation management in two-way radios and scanners exposed to temperature and altitude cycling in field environments
- Seal stress reduction in IP67/IP68-rated portable electronics undergoing thermal cycling and altitude changes
- Deep immersion pressure equalization in wearables requiring ISO 22810 ratings to 50 or 100 meters (PE15, PE17)
- Transducer bias prevention in sealed consumer electronics where internal pressure differentials compromise acoustic and speaker performance
Common industries: Consumer electronics, mobile devices, wearables, two-way radio and scanner manufacturing, portable audio.
GORE® Pressure Vents address pressure equalization requirements in sealed portable electronics where temperature or altitude changes generate internal pressure differentials. These differentials can weaken gaskets and seals, reducing liquid ingress resistance, and also create transducer bias that compromises acoustic performance — particularly in devices with flexible touch-sensitive screens that deflect inward under pressure, requiring rapid evacuation of a significant air volume.
Each grade is engineered to maximize airflow at the required ingress protection level by optimizing venting material, vent size, free volume, and target equalization time.
The portfolio is organized by application and airflow tier. PE13 and PE12 address smartphones, two-way radios, and scanners requiring the highest airflow — 19,000 and 10,000 ml/min/cm² respectively — with Silicone/Acrylic adhesive and PET support material. PE8 and PE3 provide medium airflow (3,300 ml/min/cm²) with Acrylic adhesive and PET non-woven support. PE7 is a black-membrane wearable grade (290 ml/min/cm²) with Silicone adhesive and no support material, mountable on the interior or exterior of the housing.
PE15 and PE17 are white-membrane wearable grades (380 and 290 ml/min/cm² respectively) with PET support material, Acrylic adhesive, and internal mount with back pressure on captive ring required; PE15 achieves ISO 22810 deep immersion to 50 m for 10 minutes and PE17 to 100 m for 15 minutes. Part orientation for PE13, PE12, PE8, and PE3 is internal mount with ePTFE facing the environment; PE7 can be interior or exterior mounted.
All grades meet the threshold requirements of RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU. IP ratings depend on housing design and part size. Extended immersion test conditions: PE12/PE13 at 1.5 m water for 30 minutes; PE7 at 2 m water for 1 hour; PE15 at 50 m water for 10 minutes with back pressure on captive ring; PE17 at 100 m water for 15 minutes with back pressure on captive ring. Compliant with RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU.
How do I select the right GORE® Pressure Vent grade for my application?
Selection is driven by required airflow rate, IP/ISO 22810 immersion rating, device type, and available footprint. PE13 and PE12 deliver the highest airflow (19,000 and 10,000 ml/min/cm²) for smartphones and large handheld devices needing rapid equalization. PE8 and PE3 provide medium airflow for devices with lower equalization speed requirements. PE7 is suited to wearables requiring a mounting flexibility (interior or exterior) with IP68 to 2 m. PE15 and PE17 are designed for deep-immersion wearables to 50 m and 100 m respectively per ISO 22810, with back pressure on captive ring required.
Why is rapid pressure equalization critical in modern smartphones?
Smartphones with flexible, touch-sensitive screens generate a large internal pressure differential when the screen deflects inward under finger pressure. In an unvented device, this creates transducer bias — audible distortion in the speaker or receiver during calls or audio playback. A pressure vent with sufficient airflow rapidly equalizes this differential, eliminating the bias.The equalization speed requirement directly determines which grade is appropriate: PE13 at 19,000 ml/min/cm² equalizes a 0.1 bar differential in a 20 cc device within approximately 0.5 seconds, while lower-airflow grades take longer.
What are the IP and immersion ratings available across the GORE® Pressure Vent portfolio?
All grades achieve IP67 as a baseline. PE12, PE13, PE7, PE15, and PE17 achieve IP68; PE3 and PE8 can also meet IP68 under certain custom design conditions (contact Gore). For deep immersion: PE15 achieves ISO 22810 at 50 m water for 10 minutes with back pressure on captive ring; PE17 achieves ISO 22810 at 100 m water for 15 minutes with back pressure on captive ring. PE7 additionally meets IP65 and IP66 under external mount conditions.
Are GORE® Pressure Vents suitable for regulated environments?
All grades meet the threshold requirements of RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU. IP ratings are tested per IEC 60529; deep immersion grades PE15 and PE17 are tested per ISO 22810:2010(E) method 4.3.2. These vents are designated for industrial use only and are not for use in food, drug, cosmetic, or medical device manufacturing, processing, or packaging operations.
How should GORE® Pressure Vents be specified?
Specify grade (PE13, PE12, PE8, PE3, PE7, PE15, or PE17), inner diameter, outer diameter, required IP rating, adhesive type, part orientation (internal or external mount as applicable), and whether back pressure on captive ring is incorporated (required for PE15 and PE17). Contact Gore application engineers for design consultation on device air volume, altitude exposure, target equalization time, and custom size or adhesive requirements.
