IEC 62368-1 is a broad standard that effectively replaces two outgoing standards for powered devices: IEC/EN/UL/CSA 60065 (Audio, Video & Similar Electronic Apparatus) and IEC/EN/UL/CSA 60950-1 (Information Technology Equipment).
Information technology equipment (ITE) and Audio/Visual (A/V)
devices that were previously governed by IEC 60950 and IEC 60065 will now be
subject to the health and safety requirements of IEC 62368-1, depending on the rollout timing for each target market.
The hazard-based IEC 62368-1 standard applies not only to an end product, but
also subsystems and components like power supplies.
62368-1 Offers New Potential for Power Supply Design
IEC 62368-1 is a hazard-based standard with a completely different approach to compliance than the incident-based 60950 and 60065 standards. A hazard-based standard does not prescribe how the product must be designed or manufactured to be compliant (an approach that makes it hard to accommodate new technologies as fast as they are developed).
Instead, IEC 62368-1 proactively identifies hazardous energy sources, and requires that manufacturers create safeguards against those hazards and demonstrate their effectiveness in testing.
In terms of the power supply, this hazard-based approach means product designers and manufacturers can focus on the potential hazards and create effective safeguards against those hazards, rather than follow a specific set of rules about the design of the power supply. In this sense, transitioning to 62368-1 does not require a full redesign of the power supply—as long as the power supply was compliant with the prior standard in force, and it meets the safeguard requirements of 62368-1—but it does open up the door to new, more efficient designs in the future. (See sub-clause 4.1.1 of 62368-1 for more information on components and subsystems that are already compliant with 60950 or 60065.)
Keep in mind, however, that even if your power supply is certified
according to an old standard like IEC 60950-1, the end product that the power
supply goes into may still be tested according to the new 62368-1
standard.
Contact G&M Compliance for Expert Guidance on the Transition to 62368-1
As the boundaries between ITE and A/V products continue to converge, this kind of flexibility is key to future product growth and innovation, while still protecting consumers’ health and safety. When new products are introduced, rather than waiting for the certification body to define and classify a new product category or update an existing standard, manufacturers can get right to work creating the best power supply, putting effective safeguards in place, and demonstrating safety in tests.
Your approach to compliance with 62368-1 will depend on the power supply, the end product, the expected lifespan of the product, your target regions, and the transition timeline of these regions. Contact G&M Compliance to come up with a global plan that makes sense for your product and target markets.