This part of IEC 60974 specifies safety and performance requirements for industrial and professional equipment used in arc welding and allied processes to feed filler wire.

The wire feeder may be a stand-alone unit which may be connected to a separate welding power source or one where the welding power source and the wire feeder are housed in a single enclosure.

The wire feeder may be suitable for manually or mechanically guided torches.

This part of IEC 60974 is not applicable to spool-on torches that are covered by IEC 60974-7.

This part of IEC 60974 is not applicable to wire feeders which are designed mainly for use by laymen and design in accordance with IEC 60974-6.

NOTE 1 Typical allied processes are electric arc cutting and arc spraying.

NOTE 2 This standard does not include electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements.