Schurter announces an assortment of its most popular components for use in unattended household appliances, according to IEC 60335-1, 4th edition. Experience has shown that unattended appliances in particular tend to self-ignite when components fail, causing fires in the process. To ensure even better fire protection in unattended electrical household appliances, the latest edition expands on the requirements for components used for insulating or mounting live components whose current exceeds 0.2 Amps. Specifically, the plastic material is required to meet more demanding glow wire tests as outlined in IEC 60695-2-12 & 13. A flammability index test, which corresponds to UL 94, is conducted using a glow wire; additionally the materials' ignition behaviour is glow wire tested to establish a self-ignition temperature.
Types of unattended appliances are defined in Part 2 of 60335-2-xx, which basically says that appliances with unattended controllers such as timers, software programs and remotes, are subject to the more stringent tests in order to obtain safety agency approval. Examples of such appliances are dishwashers, ranges and ovens, washing machines and portable cooking appliances.
Schurter's assortment of products consists of open and closed fuseholders according to IEC 60127-6, as well as standard inlets and outlets according to IEC 60320. The material change meets the enhanced glow wire requirements yet does not affect the form, fit or function of the product. A suffix .15 is used to call out the enhanced versions.
