BS EN 61360-4:2005

What is BS EN 61360-4 - Standard data element types and components classes about?  

BS EN 61360-4 is the fourth part of an international standard that focuses on standard data element types and component classes.  

BS EN 61360-4 specifies two dictionaries: 

• The definitions of data element types for electric components and materials used in electrotechnical equipment and systems 
• The definitions of the component classes with an associated classification scheme 

The collection of data element types from BS EN 61360-4 is meant for use in computerized systems for component selection and component management, parts list processing and computer-aided design, -manufacturing, and -testing. 

Who is BS EN 61360-4 - Standard data element types and components classes for? 

BS EN 61360-4 on standard data element types and component classes are useful for: 

• Manufacturers of electric and electromechanical components  
• Information technology industry  
• Engineers  
• Technical experts   
• Software developers and programmers 

Why should you use BS EN 61360-4 - Standard data element types and components classes?  

In most cases, the classes and properties contained in the data collections are intuitively understandable. But, unfortunately, creating the information objects and their textual content, such as definitions, has proved to be a demanding task with potential pitfalls and problems. For avoiding such difficulties explanatory material and sections of other standards are collected in BS EN 61360-4, providing the necessary knowledge for successfully creating classes and properties. It specifies rules for the structure and content of collections of product properties and their classification structures.  

BS EN 61360-4 establishes a classification and coding system of shapes for package outlines of electric and electromechanical components according to key geometrical characteristics. 

It defines the information required on the shapes of components: 

• For the design of component lands, footprints, and piercing drawings 
• For determining the space occupied 
• For deriving dimensions and tolerances needed for automatic handling by inserters and onserters 
• To provide a classification scheme for the purposes of retrieval, selection, and comparison of component shapes 
• To establish a coding system for the identification of component package outlines 
• To provide a set of reference drawings for defining shapes, size, and relative position of the component body, mounting features, terminals, and adjusters 
• To provide a set of data element type definitions for geometrical parameters in the computer-sensible form