EN 60691:2016/A1:2019

Thermal-links - Requirements and application guide

"Compliant" assessment received on 2018-07-20
The project can be published and offered for its citation in the OJEU.

Temperatursicherungen - Anforderungen und Anwendungshinweise

Protecteurs thermiques - Exigences et guide d'application

Termični taljivi vložki - Zahteve in navodilo za uporabo (IEC 60691:2015/A1:2019)

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 11-Apr-2019
• Withdrawal Date: 14-Feb-2022
• ICS: 29.120.50 - Fuses and other overcurrent protection devices
• Technical Committee: CLC/SR 32C - Miniature fuses
• Drafting Committee: IEC/SC 32C - IEC_SC_32C
• Current Stage: 6060 - Document made available - Publishing
• Start Date: 12-Apr-2019
• Completion Date: 12-Apr-2019
• Directive: 2014/35/EU - Directive 2014/35/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits
• Mandate: M/511 - Mandate to CEN, CENELEC and ETSI relating to harmonised standards in the field of the Low Voltage Directive
• Ref Project: SIST EN 60691:2017/A1:2019 - Thermal-links - Requirements and application guide (IEC 60691:2015/A1:2019)

Relations

• Replaced By: EN IEC 60691:2023 - Thermal-links - Requirements and application guide
• Effective Date: 31-Aug-2021
• Amends: EN 60691:2016 - Thermal-links - Requirements and application guide
• Effective Date: 23-Jan-2023

Overview

EN 60691:2016/A1:2019 is the European standard providing comprehensive requirements and application guidance for thermal-links. Thermal-links are critical safety components used primarily in electrical devices to protect against overheating by interrupting current flow at predefined temperatures. This amendment A1 updates the original EN 60691:2016 standard to ensure enhanced safety, reliability, and conformity with the latest technical and regulatory expectations.

Published by CLC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization), this standard aligns with the international IEC 60691:2015/A1:2019 version and supports compliance with the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU. It sets the benchmark for manufacturers, designers, and safety assessors to ensure electrical devices equipped with thermal-links meet rigorous safety criteria.

Key Topics

• Thermal-Link Functional Safety
  The standard specifies that when a thermal-link changes its conductivity (opens or closes), there shall be no sustained arc, flame, or harmful discharge such as gases, vapors, or dust that could increase risk of fire or electrical shock.

• Material and Construction Requirements
  Thermal-links must have integral leads without damage after testing, and enclosures must remain intact without emitting hazardous substances, ensuring no risk to surrounding components or users.

• Temperature Limits and Endurance
  Temperature parameters for current-carrying parts of thermal-links must comply with IEC 60730-1:2013 Table 13 values to guarantee consistent performance under expected operating conditions.

• Testing and Validation Procedures
  The document outlines stringent tests including dielectric strength, insulation resistance, limited short-circuit tests, and temperature cycling to assess thermal-link durability and safety during normal use and fault conditions.

• Compliance with EU Safety Directives
  EN 60691:2016/A1:2019 assists manufacturers in demonstrating conformity to EU directives, particularly the Low Voltage Directive, by specifying marking, documentation, and protection requirements.

Applications

Thermal-links compliant with EN 60691:2016/A1:2019 are widely applied in various electrical and electronic equipment to safeguard against thermal hazards:

• Household Appliances – Protection from overheating in devices such as ovens, dryers, and heaters.
• Automotive Electrical Systems – Ensuring circuit integrity in battery and electronic control units.
• Industrial Equipment – Use in motors, transformers, and power supplies to prevent thermal damage.
• Consumer Electronics – Safety devices in audio-video apparatus and similar products.
• HVAC Systems – Temperature safety cutoffs for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units.

This standard helps designers select appropriate thermal-links that meet performance and safety criteria for reliable thermal protection, reducing risk of fire, damage, or electrical shock.

Related Standards

To complement the requirements of EN 60691:2016/A1:2019, the following related standards are referenced or applicable:

• IEC 60127-2 – Miniature fuses, including cartridge fuse-links relevant to thermal-link technology.
• IEC 60730-1 – Defines temperature limits for electrical components used in automatic electrical controls.
• IEC 60216-5 – Provides methodologies for assessing thermal endurance of insulating materials.
• IEC 60695 series – Fire hazard testing standards that evaluate flame and glow wire resistance for materials used in thermal-links.
• IEC 60664-1 – Addresses insulation coordination and requirements within low-voltage systems.

These interconnected standards collectively support comprehensive safety validation for electrical equipment using thermal protective devices, ensuring product compliance with EU legislation and international best practices.

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By adhering to EN 60691:2016/A1:2019, manufacturers and safety engineers can demonstrate that thermal-links in their products meet stringent safety performance benchmarks, optimize protection against overheating risks, and maintain compliance with European regulatory mandates. The standard is an essential reference to implement trusted thermal protection in diverse electrical applications.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-julij-2019
Termični taljivi vložki - Zahteve in navodilo za uporabo (IEC 60691:2015/A1:2019)
Thermal-links - Requirements and application guide (IEC 60691:2015/A1:2019)
Temperatursicherungen - Anforderungen und Anwendungshinweise (IEC
60691:2015/A1:2019)
Protecteurs thermiques - Exigences et guide d'application (IEC 60691:2015/A1:2019)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 60691:2016/A1:2019
ICS:
29.120.50 Varovalke in druga Fuses and other overcurrent
medtokovna zaščita protection devices
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD EN 60691:2016/A1

NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
April 2019
ICS 29.120.50
English Version
Thermal-links - Requirements and application guide
(IEC 60691:2015/A1:2019)
Protecteurs thermiques - Exigences et guide d'application Temperatursicherungen - Anforderungen und
(IEC 60691:2015/A1:2019) Anwendungshinweise
(IEC 60691:2015/A1:2019)
This amendment A1 modifies the European Standard EN 60691:2016; it was approved by CENELEC on 2019-02-15. CENELEC members
are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this amendment the status of a
national standard without any alteration.
Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre or to any CENELEC member.
This amendment exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation under the
responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same status as
the official versions.
CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2019 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.
Ref. No. EN 60691:2016/A1:2019 E

European foreword
The text of document 32C/548/FDIS, future IEC 60691/A1, prepared by SC 32C "Miniature fuses" of
IEC/TC 32 "Fuses" was submitted to the IEC-CENELEC parallel vote and approved by CENELEC as
The following dates are fixed:
• latest date by which the document has to be implemented at national (dop) 2019-11-15
level by publication of an identical national standard or by endorsement
• latest date by which the national standards conflicting with the (dow) 2022-02-15
document have to be withdrawn
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CENELEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document has been prepared under a mandate given to CENELEC by the European
Commission and the European Free Trade Association, and supports essential requirements of EU
Directive(s).
For the relationship with EU Directive(s), see informative Annex ZZ, included in this document.
Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 60691:2015/A1:2019 was approved by CENELEC as a
European Standard without any modification.
Replace Annex ZA of EN 60691:2016 by the following one:
Annex ZA
(normative)
Normative references to international publications
with their corresponding European publications

The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments)
applies.
NOTE 1 When an International Publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated by (mod), the relevant
EN/HD applies.
NOTE 2 Up-to-date information on the latest versions of the European Standards listed in this annex is available here:
www.cenelec.eu.
Publication Year Title EN/HD Year
IEC 60065 (mod) 2014 Audio, video and similar electronic EN 60065 2014
apparatus - Safety requirements
- -  + A11 2017
IEC 60112 2003 Method for the determination of the proof EN 60112 2003
and the comparative tracking indices of
solid insulating materials
+ A1 2009  + A1 2009
IEC 60127-2 2014 Miniature fuses - Part 2: Cartridge fuse- EN 60127-2 2014
links
IEC 60216-5 2008 Electrical insulating materials - Thermal EN 60216-5 2008
endurance properties - Part 5:
Determination of relative thermal
endurance index (RTE) of an insulating
material
IEC 60664-1 2007 Insulation coordination for equipment EN 60664-1 2007
within low-voltage systems - Part 1:
Principles, requirements and tests
IEC 60695-2-12 2010 Fire hazard testing - Part 2-12: EN 60695-2-12 2010
Glowing/hot-wire based test methods -
Glow-wire flammability index (GWFI) test
method for materials
+ A1 2014  + A1 2014
IEC 60695-2-13 2010 Fire hazard testing - Part 2-13: EN 60695-2-13 2010
Glowing/hot-wire based test methods -
Glow-wire ignition temperature (GWIT) test
method for materials
+ A1 2014  + A1 2014
IEC 60695-10-2 2014 Fire hazard testing - Part 10-2: Abnormal EN 60695-10-2 2014
heat - Ball pressure test method
IEC 60695-11-10 2013 Fire hazard testing - Part 11-10: Test EN 60695-11-10 2013
flames - 50 W horizontal and vertical flame
test methods
IEC 60730-1 (mod) 2013 Automatic electrical controls - Part 1: EN 60730-1 2016
General requirements
IEC 61210 (mod) 2010 Connecting devices - Flat quick-connect EN 61210 2010
terminations for electrical copper
conductors - Safety requirements

Annex ZZ
(informative)
Relationship between this European standard and the safety objectives of
Directive 2014/35/EU [2014 OJ L96] aimed to be covered
This European Standard has been prepared under a Commission’s standardization request relating to
harmonized standards in the field of the Low Voltage Directive, M/511, to provide one voluntary means
of conforming to safety objectives of Directive 2014/35/EU of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 26 February 2014 on the harmonization of the laws of the Member States relating to the
making available on the market of electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits
[2014 OJ L96].
Once this standard is cited in the Official Journal of the European Union under that Directive,
compliance with the normative clauses of this standard given in Table ZZ.1 confers, within the limits
...