IEC 81346-1:2022

Overview

IEC 81346-1:2022 - "Industrial systems, installations and equipment and industrial products - Structuring principles and reference designations - Part 1: Basic rules" defines general principles and rules for structuring technical systems and for creating unambiguous reference designations. It establishes how to identify objects (components, products, locations, functions, types) so information about those objects can be created, retrieved and linked across documents, disciplines and lifecycles. The standard is a horizontal publication intended for use by technical committees and synchronized with related parts of the 81346 series.

Key topics and requirements

• Structuring principles: guidance on forming structures and using different aspects (function, product, location, type, and other aspects) to represent systems.
• Reference designation construction: formats for single-level and multi-level reference designations, use of letter codes and consistent presentation rules.
• Reference designation set: management of sets of designations as the key to cross-referencing documents and drawings.
• Information models: an EXPRESS-G information model for the reference designation system and a framework model to ensure interoperability.
• Relations and sub-objects: rules and methods to designate associative relations between objects and requirements for incorporating sub-objects into structures.
• Metadata and documentation: recommendations for metadata to support design structure management and for documenting application of the 81346 series.
• Labelling and presentation: rules for labelling components and presenting reference designations and object properties.
• Sector-specific development: requirements for development and alignment of sector-specific parts of the 81346 family.
• Normative changes: many notes converted to normative "Comment to Rule" text; new and revised rules introduced in this edition.

Applications and who uses it

IEC 81346-1 is used by:

• Systems engineers, plant and process designers
• Mechanical, electrical and construction engineers
• Technical authors, document controllers and information managers
• PLM/PDM/CAD system integrators and asset management teams
• Standards and technical committees creating sector-specific designation rules

Practical uses include consistent part/component labelling, cross-disciplinary data retrieval, lifecycle documentation, production/installation lists, maintenance records, and integration of design information across engineering domains.

Related standards

• IEC 81346-2:2019 and ISO 81346-12:2018 (synchronized parts)
• IEC Guide 108 (framework for reference designations)
• Referenced in Annex N: IEC 61355-1 (document designation), IEC 61175-1 (signal designation), IEC 61666 (terminal designation)
• Useful alongside ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010 for architecture descriptions

Keywords: IEC 81346-1, reference designation, structuring principles, information model, aspect-oriented structure, metadata, design structure management.