LABINSIGHT: exploring the Low Voltage Laboratory

Our appointment with LABINSIGHT continues a journey that takes us inside the laboratories of Istituto Giordano. After getting to know the Acoustics and Vibration section in detail, today we delve into the rooms of Low Voltage with Head Giuseppe Arcaro.







Greetings to all. I am Giuseppe Arcaro, technical manager of the Low Voltage section of Istituto Giordano. The laboratory I operate allows the performance of tests and trials on products to verify compliance with the electrical safety requirements defined by European and international standards.




Based on which authorisations/notifications is testing performed? 
According to the main national standards harmonised with the LVD Directive (2014/35/EU), Istituto Giordano's Low Voltage section performs type tests for CE marking purposes. Furthermore, the laboratory is notified under Directive 2014/32/EU (MID) for tests on gas and electricity meters. In addition, accreditation is being granted to perform tests in the CPR area (Product certification) and some tests in the voluntary area.



Fig. 3 Electromagnetic field measurements regarding human exposure  

Let's go into more detail. What kind of tests do you perform?

By means of its tests, the laboratory is able to cover a variety of areas and the most important ones include:

• CE marking of electrical and electronic products (including household appliances, electrical tools, lighting equipment, electrical equipment of machines, etc.);
• Determining the degree of protection of enclosures for electrical equipment (IP Code);
• Environmental performance tests on electrical equipment;
• Surveys and measurements of the electrical characteristics of materials, including construction products;
• Laboratory tests and on-site services to demonstrate that products/systems are adequately protected against electrostatic discharge;
• Testing of electronic equipment, including marine equipment;
• Automotive testing;
• Testing of electronic equipment in the railway and metro sector.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

The tests carried out are numerous. What space and equipment do you have at your disposal?

The space allocated to the Low Voltage laboratory comprises a dedicated area of about 250 m2 in the Gatteo operations centre, which has more than 6000 m2.
Within this is an area with humidity and temperature control dedicated to electrical safety tests and measurement of the electrical characteristics of materials. The following test instruments can be found here: stabilised power supplies, multimeters, safety test benches, rigidimeters and many other devices that comply with the test procedure as specified by the appropriate standards.

Finally, the rest of the environment is used to perform large-scale environmental tests. It is equipped with two climatic chambers and a series of equipment, in many cases self-built by Istituto Giordano, dedicated to performing tests according to specifications



 

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