What makes a successful EMC Testing Lab? How do you know they are truly capable of giving accurate results and recommendations for your product? Let’s take a look in more detail below.

If you are an importer, distributor or manufacturer looking to sell electronic and electrical equipment in Australia, you are required to test, certify, register and label it as compliant with the applicable EMC standards. 

Since the compliance standards vary by region, including Japan, USA, Europe and Canada, exporters must also comply with the standards in those regions. 

Choosing the right EMC testing lab not only helps you meet all relevant compliance standards, and hence access all targeted markets, but also plays a big role in determining how fast your products can go to market. 

It’s important that you use the following factors as a guide for choosing the right EMC testing lab for you: 

  • Accreditation 
  • Services 
  • Technical Know-how 
  • Equipment 
  • Ease of Access

Please read on to learn more about the above factors. 

Accreditation

Finding an accredited testing facility is essential, even though accreditation does not guarantee the quality of their services. 

Accreditation simply means that the testing lab under consideration has had their staff, testing processes and equipment settings vetted by a qualified third party body such as NATA and A2LA among others. 

Choosing an accredited facility means that you are going with a service provider that has been able to demonstrate their ability to successfully carry out the EMC testing. 

Services

EMC testing labs offer different services. Some electrical or electronic equipment may need to be subjected to a variety of tests before they can be certified. 

Furthermore, you might need some guidance on the compliance requirements of your components, especially if this is your first time. 

This means that you need to find a facility that offers all the necessary testing services, that is if you want to bring the product to market as soon as possible, or go with different service providers if such an option is not available. 

However, it is important to note that if you choose to go with a single facility, they should be accredited to handle all the necessary tests.   

Technical Know-how

Choosing a lab that has a team of highly knowledgeable workers is essential. 

Their expert skills in the field of design, on top of testing, will come in handy when bugs are detected and alterations are needed to ensure that the component is compliant at the end of all the testing. 

Otherwise, you might have to call in an external expert to help you out. Most importantly, knowledgeable and experienced technicians will be able to carry out the testing processes properly.

This reduces the chances of damaging the components simply because they made a silly mistake; something that inexperienced technicians might do. 

Equipment

The right equipment is necessary to run all EMC tests and guarantee certification. It goes without saying, that only the right service provider will have the necessary equipment. 

Before choosing a testing facility, it is recommended that you take the time to find out what equipment is needed to carry out the tests. 

You can get this information from the engineers from the lab under consideration. For instance, if the equipment to be tested is too large to be moved, do they have portable equipment that can be brought to your location? 

Ease of Access 

Going with a testing lab that is easily accessible to you is also important. This means that you won’t have to travel or send your designers halfway across the world to correct any issues discovered during the testing process. 

Summary 

It might be easy for you to only consider costs when choosing the right EMC testing lab. However, as you can see from the above, this is an essential decision that requires a lot of consideration. 

With the above in mind, and in practice, finding the right facility will be much easier. 

If you would like to know more about the EMC standards and product testing or need EMC testing done, then look no further than Compliance Engineering.

We are the definitive source for all of your Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) requirements. Please call us today on + 61 3 9763 3079 or contact us here.