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Whatever its purpose, make sure a structure or enclosure you are designing or specifying conforms to all required current and upcoming standards and certification. Get that wrong and later you may encounter major time setbacks,


unwelcome risks and big mitigation costs. Chris Arnold from contract manufacturer ICEE Managed Services offers a best practice approach


I


f your product requires CE marking (proof of compliance with certain European Union


regulations) what happens now Britain has left the EU? Official information about this is available1


, but for any designer the general


topic of compliance and certification is crucial. Take a relatively simple example. Imagine


specifying the design requirements for a bespoke workstation made from polished stainless steel, such as a large and one-off reception desk installation for a museum or art gallery. It requires power sockets to be installed in the work surface, allowing connection of various items of electrical equipment. Straightaway, the workstation has to comply with stringent electrical safety regulations, especially on earthing. While addressing the risk issue, it can add cost to manufacture. At a more complicated and volume-produced


level, you are designing a structure such as an automated locker system enabling parcels to be collected 24/7, or a cabinet to dispense beverages or food products, or an outside enclosure to house critical traffic control kit. There may be a number of obvious


compliance issues to be addressed, relating to mechanical and electrical safety, but if it’s the first time you are designing a structure or enclosure of the type required, watch out for the less obvious regulatory requirements.


HOW DO YOU FIND OUT ABOUT ALL RELEVANT CERTIFICATION? • Clearly, in writing the design specification, refer to what you know, but also ask others – there may be experts elsewhere in your organisation able to help


• Government directives and advisory sources • British standards, or the compliance regulators of the country the structure or enclosure will be used in


• Professional institutions connected with the application or industry


• Experienced contract designers and manufacturers who specialise in supplying similar applications (an especially important resource if you are outsourcing design and manufacturing – and maybe installation and maintenance too) For whatever reason, finding out late that


additional certification or compliance is required can really mess up a critical process. As designers and makers of a variety of


The right Ingress


Protection (IP) rating is important for any


electrical enclosure, but vital beside roads and


motorways to stop dust and water damaging equipment inside


structures and enclosures to protect electrical equipment, one area of compliance ICEE knows very well is that of IP, or Ingress Protection. It means a set of ratings applied to indicate the level of protection required against the risk of typically, dust or water (liquid or airborne), entering an electrical enclosure or cabinet and damaging the equipment enclosed. The risk has to be carefully assessed to meet the required IP rating for the design and its application. To help with this, British Standards Institution


(BSI) sets requirements and provides regulatory guidelines for manufacturing electrical enclosures. One of the main specifications that should be adhered to is BS EN 60529:1992. This provides guidance on how electrical enclosures must be sealed effectively against any kind of intrusion. However, the standards you should use will differ according to the type of electrical enclosure being designed, as the equipment being protected plays a fundamental part in determining the IP rating. In some cases meeting IP requirements can be worked out in principle, on the CAD screen. However, sometimes only practical testing – with a full-size prototype – will enable a robust, safe and appropriate IP rating to be achieved. It is hard to check on-screen the effects of Force 9-driven rain or severe vehicle wheel spray striking a roadside cabinet.


1CE Marking after Brexit - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prepare-to-use-the-ukca-mark-after-brexit, or check CE Marking Association


12 MARCH 2020 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS


In our experience at ICEE, the design specifier


may be well aware of relevant regulations and certifications, but sometimes there are specialist professionals in the customer’s organisation, or associates outside, who may know additional standards required. Sometimes projects become isolated and we


always say to the specifier, working in what may be an internal ‘silo’, be circumspect and ask others outside. This avoids costly setbacks later, possibly connected with discovering compliance and legislation that is highly specialised, just introduced, or in the pipeline (but will become applicable just before a design is launched). In the UK, it is the designer or specifier’s responsibility to provide the manufacturer with the correct IP rating for an enclosure. This is where talking to an experienced manufacturing services contractor like ICEE can pay dividends. Besides assisting with design for manufacture, we have helped several customers manage difficult compliance processes.


ICEE Managed Services T: 02392 230 604 sales@icee.co.uk www.icee.co.uk


Chris Arnold, key account manager, ICEE Managed Services


/ DESIGNSOLUTIONS


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