NEW EMC DIRECTIVE EXPLAINED

Are you aware that there is a new EMC Directive 2004/108/EC that will replace the existing EMC Directive on 20 July 2007? Do you know what the main changes will be? To help you get to grips with the new Directive, REO UK has published a new handbook which is available as a free download or can be ordered in hard copy via the company’s website.

One of the main changes is that the scope of the Directive is more clearly defined and it makes a distinction between two types of equipment – apparatus (a finished appliance made commercially available as a single functional unit and intended for the end-user) and fixed installations (a combination of apparatus and other devices which is installed permanently at a predefined location).

Both types have to be designed and manufactured with regard to the state of the art (regard being the operative word here because it is not possible to define what state of the art is). The levels of emissions remain the same as the previous directive and the requirement for immunity to disturbance is slightly relaxed in that the Directive says without unacceptable degradation in the intended use.

However, fixed installations now have to be installed using good EMC engineering practice and with respect to the manufacturer’s instructions for the intended use of their products. Good EMC engineering practices have to be documented and this information must be held by a Responsible Person for as long as the fixed installation is in operation.

REO’s new handbook, which is the latest addition to the company’s library of technical handbooks, focuses on best practices for the design and construction of control panels, with the requirements of the new EMC Directive in mind.