When designing electrical equipment, machines and systems, it is necessary to check the products from an EMC and safety point of view. These test are mandated by international standards and are designed to protect the user from potential harm and to ensure the performance of equipment is maintained in the event of electrical disturbances. 

In addition to the classic EMC tests such as ESD (electrostatic discharge), Burst (fast transient) and Surge, there is also the area of insulation tests. Overvoltages are used to test an electrical product's insulation without large currents flowing that occur during breakdowns and flashovers.

To help Product designers and test engineers understand insulation test requirements you can download  our Technical Note 0117.