IEC/TR 62685 Test requirements and EMC

IEC/TR 62685:2010 is NOT harmonized. The full title is Industrial communication networks – Profiles – Assessment guideline for safety devices using IEC 61784-3 functional safety communication profiles  (FSCPs).

IEC/TR 62685 was produced from the test requirements of the German BGIA document GS-ET-26 and covers the requirements of safety components within a safety function. It covers the issue of labeling and  EMC as well as mechanical and climatic tests. This closes some of the gaps left by EN ISO 13849-1 and EN 61784-3. Overall the document is more relevant to safety component manufacturers than plant and  machine builders. However, as the document contains a good comparison of EMC requirements, it may also  be of interest to machine builders.

Engineering Safety Standards

There is no intention at this point to provide a complete list of the European engineering safety standards. Over 600 standards are listed as harmonized under the Machinery Directive alone. The following section  addresses a selection of the general safety standards. They are explained in various degrees of detail,  depending on the significance of the individual standard.

Machinery Directive

98 /37/EC and its successor 2006/42/EC have special significance in terms of the functional safety of machinery. This directive, generally known as the “Machinery Directive”, is concerned with the standardization of European safety requirements on machinery.

Content:
The Machinery Directive covers the key aspects of machine safety. The contents of the Machinery Directive are as follows:

• Scope, placing on the market, freedom of movement
• Conformity assessment procedures
• CE marking
• Essential health and safety requirements
• Categories of machinery and the applicable conformity assessment procedures
• EC declaration of conformity and type-examination
• Requirements of notifi ed bodies

Validity:
The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC replaced the previous version 98/37/EC with effect from 29.12.2009. There is no transition period.

Standards relating to the Machinery Directive:
At this point, it makes no sense to name all the standards that are listed under the Machinery Directive and are therefore considered as harmonized. As of Spring 2011, there were more than 700 standards listed directly. To then add all the standards that are relevant indirectly via the standards that are listed directly, would go far beyond the scope of this compendium. The following chapters will therefore concentrate on those standards for the Machinery Directive which are of general significance.

Standards, Directives and Laws: Directives

Of the almost 30 active directives now available, only a small selection is relevant to the typical machine builder. Some directives may have a very long or bureaucratic title in addition to the directive number (e.g. 2006/42/EC). Variations can be seen in the last part of the directive number. This will contain EC, EU, EG, EWG or some other abbreviation, depending on the language area and issue date. As a result it is generally very difficult to name the directive. These long titles are often abbreviated separately, even though this can  also lead to misunderstandings. Here is a list of some of the key directives with both their official title and  their usual, though unofficial, abbreviated title:

Click to view larger

The aim of the directives is to guarantee freedom of movement within the EU. The full texts of the directives http://eur-lex.europa.eu/de/legis/index.htm are available from the EU. Of all these directives, only the  Machinery Directive will be examined here in any further detail. However, the list of relevant standards will naturally refer to standards that relate to other directives.

Seven Steps to a CE Mark: Step 7, Affix the CE Marking

The CE mark may be affixed once the EC declaration of conformity has been issued.

It’s important that CE marking for the complete machine is clearly  distinguishable from any other CE markings, e.g. on components. To  avoid confusion with any other  markings, it is advisable to affix the CE marking for the complete machine to the machine type plate, which should also contain the name and address of the manufacturer.

Seven Steps to a CE Mark: Part Six, Issue the Declaration of Conformity

By issuing the EC declaration of conformity, the manufacturer declares that they have considered all the  directives that apply to the product. The person signing an EC declaration of conformity must be authorized to represent his company. This means that the signatory is legally entitled to execute a legal transaction, such as signing the EC declaration of conformity, on account of their job function.

When an authorized employee of the company adds their valid signature to an EC declaration of conformity, they trigger the liability of the natural responsible person and, if applicable, the company as a legal entity.

The declaration may also be signed by an authorized representative, who is established in the EU.

The new Machinery Directive requires the declaration to name the person authorized to compile the technical documentation. This person must be established in the EU.