EMC test methods
EMC refers to the ability of electrical equipment to function in its electromagnetic environment without unacceptable interference and at the same time not to be disturbed by this environment itself.
This is crucial for the safety, reliability and interoperability of electronic systems in various application areas.
International standards such as the IEC 61000 series, CISPR standards and regional regulations define how EMC tests should be carried out to assess the immunity and emission of equipment.
These standards are globally recognized and ensure that products are compliant worldwide.
Use cases
EMC testing is critical in a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical, industrial electronics, telecommunications and consumer appliances.
Each industry has specific requirements and standards that must be considered during EMC testing.
Regulatory requirements & certification
EMC tests are necessary to ensure compliance with legal regulations such as CE marking in the European Union.
Certification according to EMC standards is an important step for manufacturers to bring their products to market and ensure their acceptance.
Technological challenges & developments
As technology advances and new devices and systems are introduced, EMC standards must be continuously adapted and developed.
This makes it possible to keep pace with new challenges such as higher frequencies and more complex device architectures.
Test methods for interference immunity
Immunity tests in EMC are necessary to ensure that electronic devices function reliably despite electromagnetic interference.
These tests simulate various disturbances to test whether a device remains resistant and its function is not impaired.
They are crucial for preventing malfunctions and failures caused by everyday electromagnetic interference.
These tests simulate the discharge of static electricity that can be caused by touching or approaching the device.
The aim is to ensure that the device is robust against such discharges, as static electricity is present in many environments and could damage or impair devices.
This simulates fast pulses that can be generated by switching circuits.
These pulses can occur in practice, e.g. when switches are actuated, and must be able to be processed by the device without interference.
These tests check the ability of a device to withstand sudden voltage spikes that can be caused by lightning strikes or the switching on and off of high-power devices in the same power supply.
Overvoltages can damage electronic devices or impair their function, so it is important that devices are robust against such events.
These tests check the immunity of a device to interference on the power supply line that may be generated by other devices on the same power line.
Such interference can affect the performance of an appliance and must be intercepted by suitable filters and protective measures.
This tests the immunity of a device to magnetic fields that can be generated by nearby power lines, motors or other devices.
Magnetic fields can affect sensitive electronic components, so it is important that the device is protected against such interference.
These tests simulate sudden changes in the mains voltage, which can occur when large loads are switched on and off or due to mains faults.
The device must be prepared to recognize such events and, if necessary, react to them without impairing its function.
This simulates fluctuations in the mains voltage that can occur during normal operation or due to external factors.
The device must be able to deal with such voltage fluctuations within a defined range without this leading to a malfunction.
Test methods for interference emission
EMC emission measurements are necessary to ensure that electronic devices do not emit unacceptable electromagnetic interference that could affect other devices or systems in their environment.
These measurements check whether the electromagnetic emissions generated by a device comply with the specified limits in order to avoid interference in other electronic devices and not to disrupt general radio communication or the operation of other electronics.
This measures how much electromagnetic energy a device emits into the surrounding air. The limits for radiated emissions are regulated by law to ensure that devices do not interfere with other electronic devices or communication systems.
These measurements assess the electromagnetic emissions that a device can transmit to other devices via the power supply lines or other cables.
Here, too, there are legal limits to ensure that the electromagnetic interference remains at an acceptable level.
These measurements check whether a device is generating unwanted electrical signals on the power supply line that could affect other devices or the power quality.
Harmonics and flicker can affect both operational safety and grid stability and must therefore be measured and checked.
We support you in the following sectors
- Interference immunity: Resistance to electromagnetic interference
- Radiation immunity: Ability to withstand external EM fields without loss of performance
- Conducted interference: EM interference that is propagated through lines
- Radiation interference: EM interference that is spread by radiation
- EMC measurements: Tests to determine electromagnetic compatibility
- Electrostatic discharge (ESD): Protective measures against ESD and their effects on electronic components and systems
- EMC limit values: Legal and normative requirements for limiting interference
- Shielding:Measures to reduce EM interference through shielding
- Filtering: Use of filters to reduce conducted interference
- EMC standards: Standards and directives (e.g. CISPR, IEC)
- EMC design: Design and layout of devices from an EMC perspective