BS EN 16296:2021

What is BS EN 16296 about?  

The purpose of BS EN 16296 is to define quality levels based on typical imperfections, which might occur in normal fabrication. BS EN 16296 is applicable for use within a quality system for the production of factory welded joints.  

BS EN 16296 is directly applicable to visual examination of welds or test specimens.  BS EN 16296 specifies quality levels for imperfections in thermoplastics welded joints that have cooled to ambient temperature and is applicable to material thickness above 2,0 mm. 

In BS EN 16296, three quality levels are specified in order to permit application for a wide range of welded fabrication. They are designated by symbols B, C and D, where B is the most stringent. The quality levels refer to production quality and not to the fitness-for-purpose of the manufactured product. 

BS EN 16296 is applicable to the following welding processes: 

• Heated tool welding 
• Electrofusion socket welding 
• Hot gas welding using filler rod only 
• Extrusion welding 
• Solvent welding of pipes 

Note: BS EN 16296 does not include details of recommended methods of detection and sizing. 

Who is BS EN 16296 for? 

BS EN 14728 on thermoplastics welded joints is useful for quality control professionals as well as design engineers in these industries: 

• Automotive  
• Medical packaging  
• Medical equipment 
• Electronic packaging  
• Plastics  
• Toy manufacturers 

Why should you use BS EN 16296? 

You would use BS EN 16296 as a reference when you draft application codes and/or other application standards. It contains a simplified selection of imperfections based on the designations and illustrations given in EN 14727, Imperfections in thermoplastics welds – Classification.  

The quality levels given in BS EN 16296 will provide you with basic reference data. These quality levels are not specifically related to any particular application. The quality levels refer to the types of welded joints, and not to the complete product. The same product may need different types of welded joints. So the quality requirement for each joint could be different. 

BS EN 16296 provides three sets of dimensional values from which a selection can be made for a particular application for a wide range of welded fabrications. 

You would use BS EN 16296 as a base document when referring to other standards for imperfections in thermoplastic welded joints during manufacturing. 

What’s changed since the last update? 

BS EN 16296:2021 supersedes BS EN 16296:2012, which is withdrawn. 

In comparison with the previous edition, the following technical modifications have been made: 

• In comparison with the previous edition, the following technical modifications have been made. 
• The designation 1AAAA of the quality levels for “cracks” has been deleted to be consistent with EN 14728:2019 in table Tables 3 to 8 
• The numbers and designations have been updated to be aligned with EN 14728:2019 as the texts for the quality levels in table Tables 3 to 8