The Effects of the Immunity Requirements
of the EMC Directive on ITE Products

By Bill Horan Intel Corp. (UK)

Abstract

The number of tests mandated under the generic Domestic/Light Industrial Immunity Standard is set to significantly increase at the end of the phase over period to the new version of EN50082-1. Virtually the same set of tests will be required under the New Information Technology Equipment (ITE) Immunity Standard, EN55024, likely to come into effect at about the same time. ITE manufacturers will be faced with doubled costs and timescales associated with making new products to be sold in the European Union comply with the EMC directive. This will create a disincentive for new ITE products to be sold or manufactured in Europe which will have a knock on effect on the whole European economy.

Introduction

The European Union EMC Directive requires that products placed on the EU market must: The requirement to limit emissions is designed to protect radio communications, broadcast radio and TV transmissions. Similar limits are set by most major trading nations.

The requirement to demonstrate immunity to electromagnetic phenomena is designed to verify that a product will function in its normal environment without being adversely effected by normally occurring electromagnetic phenomena. For example a PC should not be effected by a mobile phone used in the near vicinity of the PC. The statutory requirement to demonstrate this immunity is unique to the European Union amongst the major western trading nations. In the rest of the world this is viewed as a product quality issue and not subject to regulatory requirements.

The Immunity requirements of the EMC directive have two effects on the Information Technology Equipment (ITE) industry in the European Union. There is an effect on manufacturing systems and there is an effect on ITE products.

Effect on Manufacturing Systems

The equipment required to manufacture ITE products must conform with the EMC directive and hence the immunity aspects of the directive. Since the EU is unique in this respect in many cases the equipment will not have been tested to the required immunity standards. At a minimum a technical construction file must be developed and approved by a competent body or extra testing is required. An expensive delay is introduced into plant installation schedules. In the worst case scenario highly complex products must be redesigned to meet the immunity standards. The effect is to produce a disincentive to invest in high technology manufacturing plant to be located in the Europe Union.

Effect on ITE Products

From a product availability point of view the ever increasing range of immunity tests required to demonstrate compliance with the immunity aspects of the EMC directive means that products are released later in Europe or not released at all. ITE products tend to have short manufacturing lifespans, often as short as 6 to 9 months. Profit margins are generally very low and profitability requires large shipment volumes. A manufacturer faced with the prospect of extended testing eating into a product's lifetime may well decide not to ship the product to Europe because the reduction in product lifetime means that the product is no longer profitable. From the consumer's point of view the immunity requirements add cost to PCs but little or no tangible benefit. Innovative products which have the possibility to improve efficiency in the business world or add to the quality of life will be delayed or not introduced at all in the European Union.

Conclusion

The EMC directive's immunity requirement benefits neither manufacturer nor consumer. But how can this situation be remedied without a huge burden to the European and national legislative processes? One possible solution would be for the generic and product specific standards to be modified to require immunity tests only to be mandated on safety grounds. The EMC element of the Automotive Directive already takes this approach in as much as immunity to EMC phenomena need only be demonstrated for car modules with can effect the control of the vehicle. If a PC designed for installation in a car need not demonstrate immunity to EMC phenomena why should an office or laptop system be required to demonstrate immunity?

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