Last edit: 27/04/2024
The standard is designed having in mind “premises” (the land and all facilities including buildings belonging to it) and it is not directly applicable to machinery; however, the machinery standard IEC 60204-1 often refers to it.
The International Standards of the IEC 60364 series covers
- Circuits supplied at nominal voltages up to and including 1000 V AC or 1500 V DC; for AC, the preferred frequencies which are taken into account in this standard are 50 Hz and 60 Hz. The use of other frequencies is not excluded.
- Circuits, other than the internal wiring of apparatus, operating at voltages exceeding 1000 V AC or 1500 V DC and derived from an installation having a nominal voltage not exceeding 1000 V AC or 1500 V DC, for example, discharge lighting, electrostatic precipitators;
- Fixed wiring for information and communication technology (ICT), signalling, etc., including installation and support of fibre optic cables;
- Wiring systems and cables not specifically covered by the standards for appliances.
It applies to the design, erection and verification of electrical installations such as those of:
- residential premises;
- commercial premises;
- public premises;
- industrial premises;
- agricultural and horticultural premises;
- prefabricated buildings;
- caravans, caravan sites and similar sites;
- construction sites, exhibitions, fairs and other installations for temporary purposes;
- marinas;
- external lighting and similar installations;
- medical locations;
- mobile or transportable units;
- photovoltaic systems;
- stationary secondary batteries;
- low-voltage generating sets;
- temporary connected batteries (e.g. EV).
And, again, most importantly, it does not apply to Machinery. The Electrical Equipment of Machinery is under an harmonised Standard : EN 60204-1.
[IEC 60364-1: 2024 – Low-voltage electrical installations – Part 1: Fundamental principles, assessment of general characteristics, definitions]
1.1.2 Scope of the IEC 60364 series
[…]
The International Standards of the IEC 60364 series does not apply to the selection and erection of the following electrical equipment:
i) radio interference suppression equipment, except where it affects the safety of the installation;
ii) electric fences;
iii) external lightning protection systems for buildings (LPS);
NOTE 2 Atmospheric phenomena are covered in IEC 60364-1 but only in so far as effects on the electrical installations are concerned (for example, with respect to selection of surge protective devices).
iv) electrical equipment of machines.
RCDs type AC in Germany
In Germany, VDE 0100 series forbids the use of RCDs type AC: only RDCs type A or B can be used. That means RCD type AC cannot be installed in Hospitals or in the electrical distribution in an industrial environment.
However, the electrical equipment of a machinery installed in Germany has to comply with EN 60204-1 and the IEC 60364 series (in Germany that is VDE 0100) is not applicable. That means, in Germany, the Electrical Equipment of Machinery can use RCDs tye AC.