What are IEC 60320 appliance couplers?
IEC 60320 is a set of standards for household appliances that specifies non-locking connectors for connecting power supply cords to electrical appliances.
Meet the Connector: IEC 60320 Appliance Couplers
IEC 60320 is a set of standards from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for household appliances and similar general purposes.The standards define the mechanical, electrical, and thermal requirements, as well as safety goals for power couplers, specifically non-locking connectors for connecting power supply cords to electrical appliances. Different connector types (size and shape) are specified for different combinations of current, temperature, and earthing requirements. The term coupler, as used in the standard, includes connectors on power cords and power inlets, and outlets built into appliances.
The connector supplies power to the appliance inlet. The plug connector is either integral to or to be attached to the cord. The appliance outlet is the part integral to or incorporated into the appliance or equipment (or intended to be fixed to it). The supply is obtained from the appliance outlet.
Global standards help device and component manufacturers select the best plug and socket options for their products. According to an article by SCHURTER Inc., “With standardization, you can be sure that the plug from European Manufacturer A will also work, without problems, with the socket from Asian Supplier B. Beyond that, standards provide assurance that products will adhere to a variety of safety standards, such as resilience against liquid, impact, or fire.”
Country-specific requirements apply to the power supplies of electrical appliances in terms of voltage and current. International appliance manufacturers can use IEC appliance couplers and interconnection couplers for their respective appliances’ power supply. Manufacturers can produce the same appliance for various markets with appliance couplers that enable the use of standard inlets and country-specific cord sets. Interconnection couplers allow a power supply from a piece of equipment or an appliance to be used with other equipment or appliances.
Design Notes
Standards: IEC 60320 – The standard was first published in 1970 as IEC 320. The standard was renumbered to 60320 in 1994.
IEC 60320-1 outlines general requirements. It specifies two-pole and two-pole with earth couplers for connecting a mains supply cord to electrical appliances and specifies the interconnection couplers that enable a cord to connect and disconnect one appliance to another appliance.
IEC 60320-2-1 specifies couplers for use with household sewing machines that are not interchangeable with other couplers from IEC 60320. They are rated up to 2.5 A and 250 V AC.
IEC 60320-2-2 was withdrawn in January 2016. The general requirements for these items were incorporated into IEC 60320-1 and the standard sheets were moved to IEC 60320-3.
IEC 60320-2-3 specifies couplers with some degree of liquid ingress protection (IP). In 2018, the standard sheets were moved to IEC 60320-3.
IEC 60320-2-4 specifies couplers dependent on appliance weight for engagement.
IEC 60320-3 includes standard sheets for appliance couplers and interconnection couplers, and as of 2018, includes the standard sheet for IP couplers defined by 60320-2-3.
SCHURTER 1681 hot appliance inlet, available from Mouser Electronics, for appliances that generate a high degree of heat, such as electric grills, heating devices, powerful projectors, data servers, and lighting systems.
Pin temperature: The maximum temperature of the corresponding appliance inlet determines the connector requirements. A plug temperature of 70 °C corresponds to appliance couplers for cold conditions. Cold condition appliance couplers may not be used in appliances with exterior parts whose temperature increase can exceed 75K and which can come into contact with the movable power cord during proper use. A plug temperature of 120 °C corresponds to appliance couplers for hot conditions (aka warm condition appliance couplers). A plug temperature of 155 °C corresponds to appliance couplers for very hot conditions (aka hot condition appliance couplers).
Protection classes: Class I and Class II, as described in IEC 61140
Electrical properties: Voltage – not exceeding 250 V (AC). IEC 60320 connectors are not coded for voltage. The user must ensure the compatibility of the voltage with the mains supply.
Current: Not exceeding 16 A
Mounting: Appliance couplers can be mounted into front panels from the exterior or from the interior of the appliance’s mounting board to accommodate specific customer assembly arrangements. Mounting methods include snap-in, one-step snap lock, incremental snap lock, universal snap lock, screw-on, sandwich, and rivet.
Pullout preventers: V-locking system, twylock system, and plug connection with retaining clip are designs that reduce the risk of accidentally unplugging the power cable from a device.
Ingress Protection (IP): Available for some appliance couplers.
Markets and Applications
Consumer, Medical, Datacom, Test & Measurement
Appliance couplers are used in a variety of household appliances, heating devices, lighting systems, data servers, office equipment, IT environments, measuring instruments, and medical devices.
Suppliers
Lumberg, SCHURTER, Bulgin, binder (MPE-Garry), Mouser Electronics, DigiKey
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