What is EMC Testing?

In our modern society, people become increasingly reliant on electronic devices to complete daily tasks, communicate, and do business. This equipment is designed to improve overall quality of life and work seamlessly alongside other devices.

With that being said, it is the manufacturer’s job to ensure that these devices are compliant with the latest EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) regulations as set forth by regulations in different countries where the product is sold.. Failing to do so can result in costly and embarrassing recalls.

As a business owner or manager, you can ensure that your products are compliant by submitting them for EMC compliance testing and approvals. Assuming the device passes compliance testing and meets approvals, the product can be sold in the marketplace without concerns of violating these stringent regulations.

What is EMC Testing and Why Is It Necessary?

So what is EMC testing? Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) refers to the way in which your product interacts with all other electronic equipment in its vicinity. Any electronic device has the potential to create an electromagnetic disturbance. This includes automotive components, aerospace components, medical devices, and consumer electronics; among others.

A product with poor EMC performance can interfere with the function of other devices, potentially causing issues  for the consumer. The interference can cause issues from a simple malfunction to a total product failure. This will depend on the level of interference being caused by the device and the sensitivity of the equipment being interfered with.

A typical EMC Compliance lab will perform testing and document the pass/fail performance of the device being tested.  If the device fails it can alert you to issues that should be addressed before moving forward with production.  However, most 3rd party labs don’t offer EMC design and EMC diagnostic services which often causes a gap on next steps to resolve performance issues.

Benefits of EMC Testing for Your Business

In addition to performing a high quality EMC design review, we recommend performing EMC Pre-compliance testing early in development.  EMC Pre-Compliance testing allows your business to identify marginal or failing performance early enough to understand and resolve potential EMC performance issues.  The issues can be properly diagnosed and resolved before proceeding to EMC Compliance testing often producing a single pass.  One of the most apparent benefits is that this process speeds up the lifecycle of your project.  This process not only speeds up the time to market, but often decreases testing costs and in some cases reduces the product costs by avoiding an overengineered or late solution.

Here at E3 Compliance we have achieved a significant number of ‘first time passes’ with our design, pre-screen and diagnostic process.  We do this in a cost effective way by focusing on risk areas, preventing issues by design and quickly fixing issues within the same test cycle through diagnostics. It takes less time and costs less than a traditional compliance test phase and our customers enjoy a time and cost savings.

About E3 Compliance

E3 Compliance is an independent engineering consulting company located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. Here at E3, we specialize in EMC and High-speed design, analysis and perform pre-compliance and diagnostic testing in our ~6000 sq ft EMC lab. We help our customers upfront in the product development process so they can pass compliance testing with confidence and get to market on time. We support product launches at any phase of development in automotive, aerospace, consumer, medical, office, industrial and other applications. Contact us or download our company overview PDF to learn how we can help you save time and money.

Ready to get started? Request a quote today on your current or next project.

Scott Mee