Safety of electrical and electronic products

Electrical and electronic products or equipment can present risks to people and property (electric shock, fire start, mechanical risk, etc.). The application of safety standards makes it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the device's means of protection.

In the context of CE marking, the conformity of products with harmonised standards makes it possible to obtain a presumption of conformity with the requirements of the directives and regulations relating to these standards. To assess compliance with these standards, LNE offers testing and documentary analysis services.

In order to anticipate the risks of non-compliance, LNE recommends informing yourself about the regulatory framework from the design stage of the product and carrying out pre-tests throughout development.

Electrical safety services

Our team of electrical safety experts, involved in various technical and standardization committees, is able to answer your questions about the safety or marketing of your electrical or electronic products, whether they are designed for the medical, household or industrial sectors.

Whatever the stage of your product's life cycle (R&D, design, industrialization, evolution/modification), LNE offers a range of services that can meet your needs, whether in terms of technical assistance or testing:

• Technical and regulatory support to help you understand the standard applicable to your product
• Technical and normative evaluation to anticipate and integrate normative requirements into the development of your product to avoid possible deviations
• Development of test methods adapted to your product in the absence of prescriptive methods
• Support in the drafting of your qualification plan
• Implementation of the tests identified in your qualification plans or specifications
• Comprehensive evaluation of your product according to current standards (IEC/EN/NF)
• Electrical safety and EMC training, to learn about the normative architecture applicable to your devices and identify the essential technical requirements.

Thanks to the diversity of our technical skills and our multi-technical platforms, our electrical safety tests cover all normative requirements: electrical safety and security tests, EMC tests, optical and acoustic safety, fire safety, etc.

Example of tests:

• Dielectric, insulation tests
• Electrical continuity testing
• Residual Voltage Measurement
• Contact voltage and leakage current measurement
• Consumption measurement
• Mechanical tests (stability, drops, shocks, bending)
• Evaluation of the ingress protection rating of solids and liquids (IP)
• Evaluation of the degree of protection against mechanical impact (IK)
• Fire tests (incandescent wires, needle burner, ball test, etc.)
• Heating/temperature measurement
• Realization of defect conditions
• Distance measurement in the air and creepage
• Checking the leaflet and markings.

Electrical safety resources

Our technical platform dedicated to electrical safety is made up of the following equipment:

• Voltmeters, multimeters, oscilloscopes
• Dielectric substations, megohmmeter, shock wave
• Temperature data loggers
• Laboratory dedicated to IP tests (drop boxes, c-arms, nozzles, dust chambers)
• Climate chambers
• Proof fingers
• Impact hammers and pendulum hammers
• Bending and Pulling Bench
• Needle burner, glowing wire, ball, oven...
• Patient simulator, defibrillation shock, thermostatic bath.

Our laboratory also consists of a climato-mechanical platform, anechoic cages for EMC, radiofrequency and acoustic tests, as well as equipment dedicated to optical tests.

Repositories

LNE's electrical safety experts participate in several IECEE standardization committees and expert groups: medical sector (MED), household appliances (HOUS), measurement (MEAS) and information processing and audio-visual equipment (ITAV), in order to:

• To anticipate normative developments and to be able to be ready to carry out tests as soon as a standard is published
• To express their point of view as technical experts on the test methods to be developed
• To support the French position internationally.

Among the standards covered, LNE can assist you with the following standards (non-exhaustive list):

• IEC/EN 62368-1 (ITAV)
• IEC/EN 60601-1; IEC/EN 60601-1-x; IEC/EN 60601-2-xx (MED)*
• IEC/EN 61010-1; IEC/EN 61010-2-xxx (MEAS)
• IEC /EN 60335-1; IEC/EN 60335-2-xx (HOUS)
• IEC/EN 60529
• IEC/EN 62262
• EN ISO 8528-13
• Etc.

* LNE has drafted a guide to support manufacturers and importers of medical devices in their pre-clinical technical evaluation of their devices and a guide presenting a collection of practical recommendations to help manufacturers of electromedical devices prepare for safety tests relating to IEC 60601 standards.

Affected products

Any electrical equipment such as household electrical appliances and tools/DIY, information processing devices, laboratory equipment, industrial machinery, medical devices, test benches, etc.

Accreditations

The services of LNE can be carried out with the accreditations:

• COFRAC Essais n° 1-0606, (DETAILED SCOPE )
• IECEE for the CB Scheme (CBTL LNE) or OC scheme

Why choose LNE?

• A single point of contact and a single site to carry out all your tests: a single shipment and recovery of the samples to be tested, saving time and reducing costs.
• Comprehensive, high-quality and usable test reports to facilitate submission to the notified body.
• ISO 17025 accredited testing laboratories by COFRAC*.
• An organization recognized by national and international regulatory bodies, with more than 30 years of experience in the medical sector, and the majority of its services accredited by COFRAC*.
• A multidisciplinary player renowned for its extensive expertise (climatic and acoustic tests, photobiological risk assessment, EMC, radio frequencies, electrical, mechanical, vibration, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity assessment), qualification of packaging, etc.). For each of these areas, LNE has technical experts to offer you quality services.

* List of accreditations, sites and scopes available on cofrac.fr