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EN 61000-6 EMC Testing of Industrial Environments

The EN 61000-6 lab testing standard determines emission and immunity requirements for light-industrial and industrial environments. As a leader in electromagnetic compatibility, EMC, compliance testing, Keystone Compliance assists electronic equipment manufacturers with EN 61000 testing. Meeting the EN and other EMC testing requirements can be challenging. Not only do we understand the challenges, but we help guide companies through the process.

From concept through compliance, Keystone meets all of our customers’ needs under one roof. Keystone Compliance’s accurate test reports are delivered quickly using our “four-eyes” approach. Meaning that multiple engineers and technicians review each report, ensuring that all the information required is present. This helps minimize unnecessary costs and over-testing.

Request a quote to see why we are one of the fastest-growing EMC and RF labs in the country. Contact us to receive more information on EN 61000 lab testing.

Summary of EN 61000 Immunity and Emission EMC Testing Information

EN 61000 applies to electrical and electronic apparatus intended to be used in industrial environments. These requirements range from 0 Hz to 400 GHz. Note that this generic EMC standard applies if no relevant product or product family EMC standard exists.

The EMC standard applies to equipment that is connected to a power network from a high or medium voltage transformer. The transformer in use must be dedicated to the supply of an installation feeding manufacturing or similar plant. The EN 61000 EMC standard also applies to equipment that is battery operated and intended to be used in industrial locations.

EN standard 61000-6-2 and EN 61000-6-4 both have to do with emissions and immunity for heavy industrial environments. On the other hand, 61000-6-1 and -6-3 both pertain to generic standards of emission and immunity for radio equipment applying to residential, commercial, and light industrial environments.

Scope of EN 61000-6 Regulatory Compliance Testing

Industrial environments may be characterized by three components:

Industrial, scientific and medical equipment
Heavy inductive or capacitive loads are frequently switched
Currents and associated magnetic fields are high

The purpose of this standard is to define test requirements. These requirements are considered for apparatus defined in the scope in relation to continuous, transient, and conducted and radiated disturbances. This includes electrostatic discharges.

The requirements talked about in this EN standard are selected to ensure adequate levels of apparatus at industrial locations. However, these levels do not take into consideration extreme cases. These cases may occur at any location but have an extremely low possibility of occurring. Not all disturbance phenomena have been included for testing purposes in EN 61000.

Lastly, the RF laboratory test requirements are covered on a port-by-port basis. The tests must be conducted in a well-defined and reproducible manner. The tests are also to be carried out individually as single tests in sequence. However, they may be performed in any order.

EN 61000 EMC Unintentional Radiator Conditions

This standard includes a variety of difficult and diverse apparatus. These are created to define precise criteria for the evaluation of the test. This being said, if an EUT becomes dangerous or unsafe, the equipment has failed the test.

The functional description and definition of performance criteria must be defined by the manufacturer before the testing of this equipment. This performance criterion can be grouped into two categories.

Performance Criteria A: This EUT will continue to perform during and after the test. No degradation of performance or loss of function is allowed below a level specified by the manufacturer. The performance level may be replaced by a permissible loss of performance.

Performance Criteria B: The apparatus will continue to operate as intended after the test. Similar to criteria A, no degradation in performance is allowed below a level specified by a manufacturer. If the performance level is not specified by the manufacturer, it will be derived from the EUT’s description and documentation.

Performance Criteria C: Temporary loss of function is allowed. This is provided that the function will recover by itself or can be restored by the operation of the controls.

The EUT is tested at the most susceptible operating conditions. These conditions are identified by implementing limited pre-tests. If the equipment is part of a system or connected to other equipment, the minimal representative configuration will be tested.

The manufacturer may require external protection devices. EN 61000 will allow the necessary protection devices or measurements to take place.

Lastly, if the EUT has a large number of similar ports or ports with multiple connections, a sufficient number is selected to simulate the actual operating conditions of this apparatus. This is done to ensure that all different types of termination are covered in this test.

Keystone Compliance Offers Expert EN 61000 Testing

Our team strives to give our customers more time and energy on product development instead of testing. Keystone has a full lab of test equipment which permits us to provide short lead times on scheduling. Keystone Compliance can accommodate fixed, mobile and portable devices of all sizes.

If you are ready to start your EN and/or radio device testing, please request a quote. Have a question about our RF testing labs or EMC compliance services? Contact us or call (724) 657-9940 and we will determine the best course of action.

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