Panasonic introduces their PA-N-series of power relays. The PA-N-series relays have been developed to comply with the International Electromechanical Commission (IEC) standards and are certified to the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Inc.’s standards for programmable logic controllers used to control production facilities at factories. The PA-N-series achieves a high breakdown voltage of 3,000 V, as well as showing excellent shock resistance and low power consumption. They assist programmable logic controller (PLC) manufacturers to develop products that are compatible with the new standards. PA-N-series products are suitable to switch a maximum of 5 A at 250 V_AC and 30 V_DC. These slim, 1-form-A relays comply with the new PLC safety standard (IEC 61010) for reinforced insulation.

Industrial equipment used in factories needs to be safe and reliable. Changes are planned to be made to the European IEC standards and the UL standards of the United States to impose further safety requirements on PLCs, such as securing better insulation to prevent accidents. PLC manufacturers are urgently developing products to meet the new standards, and highly reliable products compliant with the new standards are being sought for relays that control the output from PLCs. In response to these developments, Panasonic has modified the internal structure of the PA-N-series relay to improve its breakdown voltage from 2,000 V to 3,000 V to make it compatible with the new standards.

Blog: Implementation of the New IEC 61010-2-201 Standard For The PLC Market