The long-awaited day has finally arrived. Beginning Jan. 1, manufacturers must have a Declaration of Conformity (DOC) and the CE marking for EMC to market their products in the European Union (EU).
The requirements for both the declaration and the marking are explained in the EMC Directive 89/336/EEC. The Directive limits emissions from electrical and electronic apparatus; in other words, it requires products not to interfere with radio communications or other electronic devices. It also requires that products have an inherent level of immunity so they will not be interfered with by outside sources of electromagnetic disturbances.
The EMC Directive prescribes three ways to demonstrate compliance to its requirements:
1) The harmonized standard route presumes the product complies with the Directive when shown to meet published harmonized standards.
2) The Technical Construction File (TCF) route basically allows the rules to be written by the manufacturer to demonstrate compliance. This route shows great foresight by the commission as it provides an orderly path for products where harmonized standards simply do not work. Competent Bodies in the European Community have been established with the authority to determine the appropriateness of the procedure outlined in the Technical Construction File.
3) The notification route applies to products requiring government approval. This route is used for special cases such as radio transmitters and telecommunication devices, where noncompliance would pose a major problem. Since this route is unique and self-explanatory and the second route is mentioned only as an alternative, our discussion will concentrate on the harmonized standard route.
The harmonized standard route, which is the preferred procedure for the manufacturer, is generally the least expensive and by far the fastest to use. Informed sources estimate that more than 90% of all manufacturers will use this procedure. It requires a manufacturer to obtain a list of all appropriate harmonized EMC standards to determine if they apply to his product. See Chart 1 for a list of standards that are relevant to most products and Chart 2 for a list of newly harmonized standards.
There are additional immunity standards in draft form that are not currently harmonized (have not been published in the Official Journal of the EU and implemented by at least one country into national law). See Chart 3 for one proposed standard and an opinion on what a manufacturer might do in anticipation of the standard being harmonized. Although there is only one proposed standard listed, many more exist and a large number are expected to be generated in the near future.
Which Standards Apply to My Product?
For emissions, you must decide the principal function of the device being tested:
If the device is used in an industrial, scientific or medical application, test it to the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) standard EN 55011.
If the device is a household appliance, electro-mechanical office equipment hand tool or similar apparatus, test it to the household appliance (HHA) standard EN 55014.
If the device is used to process and manipulate data, test it to the
information technology equipment (ITE) standard EN 55022.
Be cautious when selecting a standard to use. For example, some people may think that because a deep-fat fryer contains a microprocessor, it would be considered ITE; instead it should be tested to HHA since its principal function is cooking.
Any type of device covered by the EMC Directive that is used in the home, whether it be HHA, ITE, ISM or some other product family, must also be tested to EN 60555-2 (harmonics) and EN 60555-3 (voltage fluctuations). If, after you search the list of product emission standards in Chart 1, you cannot determine an appropriate standard (for example ISM, HHA or ITE), your product will most likely need to be tested to one of the generic emission standards. These are used only when a more specific product standard does not exist. For more detailed information, refer to the standard itself or to the Emissions and Immunity Testing Guide.4
For immunity, the proper standard will be determined by the environment in which the product is to be used. Standard EN 50082-1 is used for products in residential, commercial and light industrial environments. Standard EN 50082-2 is for products used in the heavy industrial environment. There are also two product standards that were harmonized in September l995: EN 55104 for HHA and EN 60601-1-2 for medical equipment.
At this point, you should be able to develop a list of EMC test standards that would demonstrate compliance to the EMC Directive for your product. To help guide you, see Chart 4 for a list of product families. Note that the first three meet the EMC Directive, while the last two have their own product directives which override the EMC Directive.
When a product is covered by a more specific directive, that directive takes precedence over the EMC Directive as long as the new directive covers the entire scope of the EMC Directive. If only part of the scope is covered by the new directive, then that portion not covered is required to meet the EMC Directive.
For Medical Device Directive (MDD) products listed in Chart 4, the specific product directive will be enforced in June l998. Until then, they must comply with the EMC Directive which, as of September l995, requires EMC testing to the medical product standard EN 60601-1-2.
The last example in Chart 4, the Machine Directive, is already in force and simply refers back to the EMC Directive for its EMC requirements.
Marketing Checklist
Once proper testing has been completed, a DOC must be issued and the CE marking placed on the product. As the manufacturer, you are responsible for these items:
Sign the test report(s), agreeing that the description is accurate and that you will implement any changes that have been made to your product during testing.
Don’t change your product without conferring with an EMC expert to determine whether the changes may require retesting.
Manufacture a product that continues to comply.
Add a statement to your sales literature if your product does not perform as expected; for example, if your device loses data during ESD testing.
Issue a DOC signed by both the manufacturer and the legal representative in Europe. For more information regarding this process, see “Step by Step…DOC.”5
Apply the CE marking to the product or possibly the packaged material. For details on this procedure see “Step by Step…CE marking.”5
Remember that the EU EMC requirements for your product and the interpretations of the requirements may change. These potential changes create risks, but your greatest risk could come from not testing and not being in compliance.
References
“EMC Testing for Medical Equipment,” The Complete European Trade Digest, IV-1-ME, August l995, pp. 10-11.
“EU EMC Directive: Six Months and Counting,” The Complete European Trade Digest, IV-1-MA, August l995, pp. 8-9.
“Know Your Limits: Class A Versus Class B Requirements for CE Marking,” The Complete European Trade Digest, III-2, February l995, pp. 11-14.
Emissions and Immunity Testing Guide (Slide Rule), D.L.S. Electronic Systems, Wheeling, IL, l995.
Step By Step Procedure to Meet the EMC Requirements for ITE, HHA, ISM (Group I), ISM (Group II), Medical (Group I), Medical (Group II), CE Marking and DOC, D.L.S. Electronic Systems, Wheeling, IL, l995.
Standards and Directives
Standards and directives are available from these sources: European Document Research, (202) 785-8594, and Global Documents, (202) 429-2860.
About the Authors
Donald and Marilyn Sweeney are owners of D.L.S. Electronic Systems, and co-authors of several industry-related papers. Mr. Sweeney is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Department of Electrical Engineering, and is a certified EMC engineer through NARTE. Currently, he teaches at the University of Wisconsin, serves on the Board of Directors of the IEEE – EMC Society and chairs the Chicago Chapter of the EMC Society.
Mrs. Sweeney has a master’s degree in written composition from Northeastern Illinois University. She is a freelance writer and teaches composition classes at Oakton Community College. D.L.S. Electronic Systems, Inc., 1250 Peterson Dr., Wheeling, IL 60090, (708) 537-6400.
Chart 1*
For Emissions
EN 50081-1…………..Electromagnetic compatibility generic emission standard for the residential, commercial and light industrial environments
EN 50081-2…………..Electromagnetic compatibility generic emission standard for the heavy industrial environment
EN 55011…………….. Limits and methods of measurements of radio disturbance characteristics of ISM radio frequency equipment
EN 55013…………….. Limits and methods of measurements of radio disturbance characteristics of broadcast receivers and associated equipment
EN 55014…………….. Limits and methods of measurements of radio disturbance characteristics of HHA, portable tools and similar electrical apparatus
EN 55015…………….. Limits and methods of measurements of radio disturbance characteristics of fluorescent lamps and luminaries
EN 55022…………….. Limits and methods of measurements of radio disturbance characteristics of ITE
EN 60555-2…………Disturbances in supply systems caused by household appliances and similar electrical equipment (harmonics)
EN 60555-3…………..Disturbances in supply systems caused by household appliances and similar electrical equipment (voltage fluctuations)
For Immunity
EN 50082-1 1992…. Electromagnetic compatibility generic immunity standard for the residential, commercial and light industrial environments
EN 55020…………….. Immunity from radio interference of broadcast receivers and associated equipment
*See Chart 2 for recently harmonized standards
Chart 2
EN 50082-2 l995: Immunity Standard for the Heavy Industrial Environment
Status: This March l995 standard was harmonized in September l995. If testing was performed to earlier versions, additional testing may be required.
Opinion: This standard must be met on Jan. 1, l996, for any product marketed for use in the heavy industrial environment.
EN 55104: Immunity Standard for HHA Equipment (previously CISPR 14-2)
Status: This standard was harmonized in September l995 and requires products comply by Jan. 1, l996. If a product was previously tested to EN 50082-1 and has a DOC dated before Jan. 1, l996, it has until Jan. 1, l997, to comply.
Opinion: This standard has seen some delays but is now harmonized and must be used after Jan. 1, l996.
EN 60601-1-2: Immunity and Emissions Standard for Medical Equipment
Status: This standard was harmonized in September 1995. If testing was performed to EN 50082-1, additional testing may be required.
Opinion: This standard must be met on Jan. 1, 1996, for any product marketed for use in the medical environment (see MDD).
Chart 3
prENV55024: Proposed Immunity Standard for ITE (also known as CISPR 24)
Status: This standard is on hold and final action could be two years away.
Opinion: Most ITE has a short product life and it is currently recommended that EN 50082-1 be used. When the product committee finally releases a harmonized standard, future products can be tested to the new standard while older products will be phased out during any transition.
Chart 4
HHA Products Cooking devices, refrigerators, washing machines, hand tools, office machines or similar devices5
Test to: For emissions, EN 55014 and EN 60555-2 and -3 if used in a home environment For immunity, EN 55104
Comment: EN 55104 was harmonized in September l995.
ITE Products Computers, word processors or similar devices5
Test to: For emissions, EN 55022 Level B; if used in home, EN 55022 Level B and EN 60555-2 and -3
For immunity, EN 50082-1
Comment: ITE products tend to have a short marketing life, so it is not practical to try to anticipate the future product standard. When it is released, new products will be tested to it.
ISM Products Industrial devices, process controllers, machine tools, test equipment and similar devices5
Test to: For emissions, EN 55011 Level B; Level A for the heavy industrial environment
For immunity, EN 50082-1 if used in a light industrial environment; EN 50082-2 if used in a heavy industrial environment. If your product is in both environments, test to the worst case of each standard.
Comment: EN 50082-2 is now harmonized. EN 60555-2 and -3 are not required at this time, assuming the product will not be used in the home.
MDD Products Including medical electrical equipment, medical electrical systems, ITE used in medical electrical applications and all other equipment forming part of medical electrical systems falling under the scope of MDD, 93/42/EEC and its associated EMC Standard IEC 601-1-2/EN 60601-1-21,5
Test to: For emissions, EN 55011 required by the ISM’s product standard definition, the MDD standard IEC 601-1-2 and EN 60601-1-2
For immunity, EN 60601-1-2
Comment: The EMC directive is met today by using EN 60601-1-2 and EN 55011. In the future when the product is ready to conform to the MDD, which will require both IEC 601-1-1 and -2, the EMC testing for IEC 601-1-2 will have already been performed by using its EN equivalent.Machine Products Products falling under the scope of the Machine Directive 89/392/EEC
Machinery is defined as any assembly of linked parts of components at least one of which moves, with the appropriate actuators, control and power circuits joined together for a specific application, in particular for the processing, treatment, moving or packaging of a material.
Test to: For emissions and immunity, Machine Directive 89/392/EEC requires a product to meet the EMC Directive using the same procedure as shown for ISM products.5
Copyright 1996 Nelson Publishing Inc.
January 1996