Dear Patricia,

Electrical enclosures are designed to keep your electrical equipment safe, so it is important to understand how they perform during extreme situations like exposure to fire or excessive heat. At Spelsberg, we manufacture our enclosures to meet stringent international safety standards so you can be confident in their performance when it matters most.

All Spelsberg enclosures undergo glow wire testing as detailed in the International Electrical Commission (IEC) 60695-2-11 series of specifications. These tests replicate the type of effects that could happen when overloaded connections or overheating components cause electrical equipment malfunctions. They are designed to provide insight into an object’s ability to resist ignition and prevent dripping.

Glow wire tests are known as indirect flame method tests and were developed by the IEC in 2001 as a more comprehensive test than previous direct flame methods. They apply a non-flaming heat source like a heated wire to a specimen for 30 seconds with tissue paper below the specimen to test for dripping. Glow wire test results enable comparisons of a material’s tendency to resist ignition, its self-extinguishing properties (should ignition occur) and resistance to dripping.

For an enclosure to pass Spelsberg glow wire testing, parts exposed to live components must not burn or glow when exposed to a wire heated to 960°C ±15°C.(Depending on enclosure material) Once the heat source is removed, any residual glow must be extinguished within 30 seconds and any falling parts from the test sample must not ignite the tissue below.

We conduct rigorous safety testing on all Spelsberg enclosure designs so that you can make informed decisions and select the appropriate product for your needs. You can find additional information about our testing procedures and the methods we use to ensure product safety on our website where you can also learn more about our ongoing commitment to quality.

If you have additional questions about safety testing or specific queries about your intended application, please feel free to send me a private message to discuss them.

Kind regards,

Chris