TS EN IEC 81346-1

TS EN IEC 81346-1 is the basic-rules part of the 81346 series for industrial systems, installations, equipment and products. It defines general principles for structuring systems and for structuring information about those systems, then uses those principles to guide the creation of unambiguous reference designations for objects within any system. In practical terms, it is about making technical objects consistently identifiable across documents, disciplines and lifecycle information.

What a reference designation is meant to do

In general technical practice, a reference designation is more than a label. It acts as a key that links an object to the information held about it in drawings, diagrams, lists, maintenance records and other documents. For complex installations, that link matters because the same object may appear in several different information contexts. A well-structured designation helps users retrieve the right information without ambiguity and supports coordination between design, operation and maintenance activities.

A horizontal framework for many technical fields

• Provides general principles for structuring systems.
• Addresses the structuring of information about systems as well as the systems themselves.
• Supports the formulation of clear, unambiguous reference designations for objects.
• Treats the designation as the key to finding information about an object and, where realized, its corresponding component.
• Is applicable across technical fields such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, construction engineering and process engineering.

Because it is a horizontal publication, this standard is intended to be used across technologies rather than as a narrow sector-specific method. Its value is in creating a common structuring logic that can be applied to single-technology systems as well as to installations combining several technologies, helping technical information remain consistent and retrievable over time.