IEC 60974-1:2021

Arc welding equipment - Part 1: Welding power sources

IEC 60974-1:2021 is applicable to power sources for arc welding and allied processes designed for industrial and professional use, and supplied by a voltage not exceeding 1 000 V, battery supplied or driven by mechanical means. This document specifies safety and performance requirements of welding power sources and plasma cutting systems. This sixth edition cancels and replaces the fifth edition published in 2017 and Amendment 1:2019. This edition constitutes a technical revision. This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition:
- Table 1 with an alphabetical cross-reference listing of terms added;
- clearance and creepage distance reference document changed to IEC 60664-1:2020;
- 6.1.2 and 6.1.3 modified to follow IEC 60664-1 basic insulation dimensioning for mains supply with rationalized voltages;
- abnormal capacitor test of 6.2.2 moved to new Subclause 9.5;
- 6.2.5 and 6.3.6 modified to use touch current measuring network weighted for letgo-immobilization and supply voltage tolerance requirement added;
- 16.3 new structure and accuracy requirement for displayed voltage value ;
- Annex A changed to normative and Table A.2 and Table A.3 added;
- Annex L editorial update to standardized symbols;
- redraft of efficiency and idle state power measurement in Annex M based on IEC 62301:2011;
- Annex N measurement network weighted for letgo-immobilization added.

Matériel de soudage à l'arc - Partie 1: Sources de courant de soudage

L’IEC 60974-1:2021 s'applique aux sources de courant de soudage à l'arc et aux procédés connexes conçus pour un usage industriel et professionnel qui sont alimentés sous une tension ne dépassant pas 1 000 V, alimentés par batterie ou entraînés par des moyens mécaniques. Le présent document spécifie les exigences de sécurité et de fonctionnement des sources de courant de soudage et des systèmes de coupage par plasma. Cette sixième édition annule et remplace la cinquième édition parue en 2017 et l'Amendement 1:2019. Elle constitue une révision technique. Cette édition inclut les modifications techniques majeures suivantes par rapport à l'édition précédente.
- Ajout du Tableau 1 avec la liste des termes par référence croisée dans l’ordre alphabétique de la langue source.
- Le document de référence des distances d’isolement dans l’air et des lignes de fuite devient IEC 60664-1:2020.
- Modification du 6.1.2 et du 6.1.3 afin de respecter le dimensionnement de l’isolation principale spécifié dans l’IEC 60664-1 pour le réseau d’alimentation avec des tensions rationalisées.
- Déplacement de l’essai de condensateur anormal du 6.2.2 au nouveau 9.5.
- Modification du 6.2.5 du 6.3.6 afin d’utiliser le réseau de mesure du courant de contact pondéré pour une opération de non-lâcher/immobilisation et ajout d’une exigence de tolérance pour la tension d’alimentation.
- Nouvelle structure du 16.3 et nouvelle exigence d’exactitude pour la valeur de tension affichée.
- Modification de l’Annexe A qui devient une annexe normative et ajout du Tableau A.2 et du Tableau A.3.
- Mise à jour rédactionnelle de l’Annexe L pour l'utilisation des symboles normalises.
- Nouvelle rédaction du mesurage du rendement et de la puissance en état au ralenti (Annexe M sur la base de l’IEC 62301:2011).
- Ajout d’un réseau de mesure pondéré pour une opération de non-lâcher/immobilisation (Annexe N).

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 28-Jun-2021
• ICS: 25.160.30 - Welding equipment
• Technical Committee: TC 26 - Electric welding
• Drafting Committee: WG 1 - TC 26/WG 1
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 02-Jul-2021
• Completion Date: 29-Jun-2021

Relations

• Revises: IEC 60974-1:2017 - Arc welding equipment - Part 1: Welding power sources
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023
• Revises: IEC 60974-1:2017/AMD1:2019 - Amendment 1 - Arc welding equipment - Part 1: Welding power sources
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 60974-1 ®
Edition 6.0 2021-06
REDLINE VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Arc welding equipment –
Part 1: Welding power sources
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about IEC
copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address below or
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About the IEC
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IEC 60974-1 ®
Edition 6.0 2021-06
REDLINE VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Arc welding equipment –
Part 1: Welding power sources
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 25.160.30 ISBN 978-2-8322-9962-3

– 2 – IEC 60974-1:2021 RLV © IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD  . 7
1 Scope  . 10
2 Normative references  . 10
3 Terms and definitions  . 11
3.1 General terms  and definitions . 13
3.2 Terms and definitions related to BATTERY SYSTEMs  . 22
3.3 Terms and definitions related to efficiency and IDLE STATE power
measurement . 24
4 Environmental conditions  . 26
5 Tests  . 26
5.1 Test conditions  . 26
5.2 Measuring instruments  . 26
5.3 Conformity of components  . 27
5.4 TYPE TESTs  . 27
5.5 ROUTINE TESTs  . 29
6 Protection against electric shock  . 29
6.1 Insulation . 29
6.2 Protection against electric shock in normal service (direct contact)  . 36
6.3 Protection against electric shock in case of a fault condition (indirect contact)  . 39
7 Thermal requirements  . 41
7.1 Heating test  . 41
7.2 Temperature measurement  . 42
7.3 Limits of TEMPERATURE RISE  . 44
7.4 Loading test . 45
7.5 Commutators and slip-rings  . 46
8 THERMAL PROTECTION  . 46
8.1 General requirements  . 46
8.2 Construction  . 46
8.3 Location  . 46
8.4 Operating capacity  . 47
8.5 Operation  . 47
8.6 Resetting  . 47
8.7 Indication . 47
9 Abnormal operation  . 47
9.1 General requirements  . 47
9.2 Stalled fan test  . 48
9.3 Short circuit test  . 48
9.4 Overload test  . 49
9.5 Capacitors short circuit  . 49
10 Connection to the supply network  . 49
10.1 Supply voltage  . 49
10.2 Multi-supply voltage  . 50
10.3 Means of connection to the SUPPLY CIRCUIT  . 50
10.4 Marking of terminals  . 50
10.5 PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT  . 51

10.6 Cable anchorage  . 52
10.7 Inlet openings  . 53
10.8 SUPPLY CIRCUIT on/off switching device  . 53
10.9 Supply cables  . 54
10.10 Supply coupling device (attachment plug)  . 55
11 Output  . 55
11.1 RATED NO-LOAD VOLTAGE   . 55
11.2 TYPE TEST values of the CONVENTIONAL LOAD VOLTAGE  . 58
11.3 Mechanical switching devices used to adjust output  . 59
11.4 WELDING CIRCUIT connections  . 60
11.5 Power supply to external devices connected to the WELDING CIRCUIT  . 61
11.6 Auxiliary power supply  . 61
11.7 Welding cables  . 61
12 CONTROL CIRCUITs  . 62
12.1 General requirement  . 62
12.2 Isolation of CONTROL CIRCUITs  . 62
12.3 WORKING VOLTAGEs of remote CONTROL CIRCUITs  . 62
13 HAZARD REDUCING DEVICE  . 62
13.1 General requirements  . 62
13.2 Types of HAZARD REDUCING DEVICES  . 63
13.3 Requirements for HAZARD REDUCING DEVICEs  . 63
14 Mechanical provisions  . 64
14.1 General requirements  . 64
14.2 Enclosure  . 64
14.3 Handling means  . 65
14.4 Drop withstand  . 65
14.5 Tilting stability  . 66
15 RATING PLATE  . 66
15.1 General requirements  . 66
15.2 Description  . 66
15.3 Contents  . 67
15.4 Tolerances  . 70
15.5 Direction of rotation  . 71
16 Adjustment of the output  . 71
16.1 Type of adjustment  . 71
16.2 Marking of the adjusting device  . 71
16.3 Indication of current or voltage control  . 72
17 Instructions and markings  . 72
17.1 Instructions  . 72
17.2 Markings  . 73
Annex A (informative normative) Nominal voltages of supply networks  . 74
Annex B (informative) Example of a combined dielectric test  . 77
Annex C (normative) Unbalanced load in case of AC tungsten inert-gas WELDING
POWER SOURCES  . 78
C.1 General  . 78
C.2 Unbalanced load . 79
C.3 Example for an unbalanced load  . 79
Annex D (informative) Extrapolation of temperature to time of shutdown  . 81

– 4 – IEC 60974-1:2021 RLV © IEC 2021
Annex E (normative) Construction of SUPPLY CIRCUIT terminals  .
...

IEC 60974-1 ®
Edition 6.0 2021-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Arc welding equipment –
Part 1: Welding power sources
Matériel de soudage à l’arc –
Partie 1: Sources de courant de soudage

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about IEC
copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address below or
your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

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3, rue de Varembé [e-mail]
CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigendum or an amendment might have been published.

IEC publications search - webstore.iec.ch/advsearchform IEC online collection - oc.iec.ch
The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a Discover our powerful search engine and read freely all the
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical publications previews. With a subscription you will always
committee, …). It also gives information on projects, replaced have access to up to date content tailored to your needs.
and withdrawn publications.
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IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished
The world's leading online dictionary on electrotechnology,
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published
containing more than 22 000 terminological entries in English
details all new publications released. Available online and
and French, with equivalent terms in 18 additional languages.
once a month by email.
Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary

(IEV) online.
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If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or
need further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
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IEC 60974-1 ®
Edition 6.0 2021-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Arc welding equipment –
Part 1: Welding power sources
Matériel de soudage à l’arc –
Partie 1: Sources de courant de soudage

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 25.160.30 ISBN 978-2-8322-9914-2

– 2 – IEC 60974-1:2021 © IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD  . 7
1 Scope  . 9
2 Normative references  . 9
3 Terms and definitions  . 10
3.1 General terms  and definitions . 12
3.2 Terms and definitions related to BATTERY SYSTEMs  . 21
3.3 Terms and definitions related to efficiency and IDLE STATE power
measurement . 23
4 Environmental conditions  . 25
5 Tests  . 25
5.1 Test conditions  . 25
5.2 Measuring instruments  . 25
5.3 Conformity of components  . 26
5.4 TYPE TESTs  . 27
5.5 ROUTINE TESTs  . 27
6 Protection against electric shock  . 28
6.1 Insulation . 28
6.2 Protection against electric shock in normal service (direct contact)  . 35
6.3 Protection against electric shock in case of a fault condition (indirect contact)  . 38
7 Thermal requirements  . 40
7.1 Heating test  . 40
7.2 Temperature measurement  . 41
7.3 Limits of TEMPERATURE RISE  . 43
7.4 Loading test . 44
7.5 Commutators and slip-rings  . 45
8 THERMAL PROTECTION  . 45
8.1 General requirements  . 45
8.2 Construction  . 45
8.3 Location  . 45
8.4 Operating capacity  . 46
8.5 Operation  . 46
8.6 Resetting  . 46
8.7 Indication . 46
9 Abnormal operation  . 46
9.1 General requirements  . 46
9.2 Stalled fan test  . 47
9.3 Short circuit test  . 47
9.4 Overload test  . 48
9.5 Capacitors short circuit  . 48
10 Connection to the supply network  . 48
10.1 Supply voltage  . 48
10.2 Multi-supply voltage  . 49
10.3 Means of connection to the SUPPLY CIRCUIT  . 49
10.4 Marking of terminals  . 49
10.5 PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT  . 50

10.6 Cable anchorage  . 51
10.7 Inlet openings  . 52
10.8 SUPPLY CIRCUIT on/off switching device  . 52
10.9 Supply cables  . 53
10.10 Supply coupling device (attachment plug)  . 54
11 Output  . 54
11.1 RATED NO-LOAD VOLTAGE   . 54
11.2 TYPE TEST values of the CONVENTIONAL LOAD VOLTAGE  . 57
11.3 Mechanical switching devices used to adjust output  . 58
11.4 WELDING CIRCUIT connections  . 59
11.5 Power supply to external devices connected to the WELDING CIRCUIT  . 60
11.6 Auxiliary power supply  . 60
11.7 Welding cables  . 60
12 CONTROL CIRCUITs  . 61
12.1 General requirement  . 61
12.2 Isolation of CONTROL CIRCUITs  . 61
12.3 WORKING VOLTAGEs of remote CONTROL CIRCUITs  . 61
13 HAZARD REDUCING DEVICE  . 61
13.1 General requirements  . 61
13.2 Types of HAZARD REDUCING DEVICES  . 62
13.3 Requirements for HAZARD REDUCING DEVICEs  . 62
14 Mechanical provisions  . 63
14.1 General requirements  . 63
14.2 Enclosure  . 63
14.3 Handling means  . 64
14.4 Drop withstand  . 64
14.5 Tilting stability  . 65
15 RATING PLATE  .
...