LVD (Low Voltage Directive) Low Voltage Directive Tests
The rapidly developing electrical equipment with the technology that has become an indispensable element of our daily life has a critical importance on product safety. Hundreds of individuals are exposed to electrical current or face fire hazards every year due to unapproved devices that have not been tested and whose compliance with the criteria has not been observed.
In this regard, one of the most critical steps in meeting the product safety of electrical and electronic equipment is the examination of the LVD (Low Voltage Directive) Low Voltage Directive within the scope of the European Standards that our country is obliged to accept and comply with.
These tests and inspections aiming to protect the end user are known as LVD (Low Voltage Directive) Low Voltage Directive Test.
Especially in this period when the process of harmonization with the EU accelerated, standardization efforts in our country gained momentum. For this reason, companies that produce machinery and white goods have become conscious about LVD tests. Companies do not put their products on the market without verifying the safety of their products with the tests they have done.
The conformity of your products for free circulation in the common market of the European Union must be documented. Due to CE certification, companies that produce machinery and white goods are obliged to have LVD tests performed.
One of the directives published by the European Union within the framework of the New Approach Directives is the 2006/95/AT Low Voltage Directive (LVD). Based on this directive, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has issued a Regulation (2006/95/AT) on Electrical Equipment Designed to be Used within Certain Voltage Limits.
This regulation explains the conditions required for the devices produced in accordance with safety requirements and conformity assessment processes to be put on the market. Therefore, the devices included in the scope of the regulation are as follows:
Vehicles designed to operate with alternating current between 50 volts and 1000 volts
Vehicles designed to operate with direct current between 75 volts and 1500 volts
Electrical and electronic vehicles that comply with these features must meet the basic safety requirements in the annex of the regulation.
The said European Union directive was amended in 2014. This directive covers the risks that arise during the use of electrical appliances. These risks include not only electrical risks, but also mechanical, chemical and other risks. The main purpose is to ensure that electrical and electronic devices are safe and do not pose a danger to those who use them. Parallel to this change, the Regulation on Electrical Equipment Designed for Certain Voltage Limits (2014/35/EU) by the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology was published in our country in 2016 and the previous regulation was cancelled.
In the annex of the said regulation, equipment and situations outside the scope of the regulation are listed (Annex 2). Accordingly, the following equipment is excluded the scope:
Electrical equipment manufactured for use in explosive atmospheres
Electrical equipment produced for radiology and medical purposes
Electrical parts used in freight and human elevators
electricity meters
Plugs and sockets used in the home
electric fence controls
Radio-electrical interference (mixture of sounds)
Special electrical equipment used in ships, airplanes or railways in accordance with the safety principles regulated by international organizations in which the European Union countries participate
Evaluation kits specially produced for use only by expert employees in research and development facilities
Here are a few standards considered during the LVD Low Voltage Directive tests:
TS EN 61439-1 Low voltage switchgear and controlgear panels - Part 1: General rules
TS EN 61439-2 ... Part 2: Power switching and control devices
TS EN 61439-3 ... Part 3: Distribution boards intended to be operated by ordinary people (DBO)
TS EN 61439-4 ... Part 4: Special rules for panels (ACS) used in construction sites (IEC 61439-4:2012)
TS EN 61439-5 ... Part 5: Panels for power distribution in public networks
TS EN 61439-6 ... Part 6: Equipment for power distribution in public networks
TS EN 50363-0 Cables - Insulation, sheath and covering materials - For low voltage energy cables - Part 0: General information
TS EN 50363-1 ... Part -1: Cross-linked elastomeric insulation compounds
TS EN 50363-3 ... Part 3 : PVC insulation compounds
TS EN 50363-5 ... Part 5: Halogen-free, cross-linked insulation compounds