Crouzet Solid State Relay Knowledge Base

In 1957, the European Community established a committee with the intent of developing a means of free trade between member nations of the European Union (EU). Varying national safety standards had been a roadblock for manufacturers wishing to import from or export product to neighboring countries. A sizable effort was required to receive approval from each national safety agency before the product could be used in that country. This was further complicated by conflicts in the requirements of some national standards. Satisfying the demands of one agency could prevent the manufacturer from complying with the agency of another member nation

The 'Single European Act' of 1985 effectively removed these trade barriers by establishing directives for product entering the EU. Member nations approved "harmonized" standards that outline the criteria for which products must comply in order to satisfy the requirements of each directive. Products that meet these requirements can then bear the CE (Communauté Européenne) mark and be circulated freely in the EU.

The EMC Directive (Electromagnetic Compatibility, 89/336/EEC) was adopted by the EC in May 1989, and applies to all electrical / electronic equipment shipped into the EU. Products required to comply with this directive must not conduct or radiate RF emissions that could interfere with the operation of peripheral equipment. They must also demonstrate a particular level of immunity from conducted and radiated emissions. The degree of severity for each test within the standards ranges from level 1 to level 4, with level 4 being the most severe. Level 3 was determined to be appropriate for nearly every application in which an SSR could be utilized.

Crouzet's solid state relay's compliance with level 3 requirements of the EMC Directive gives them two distinct advantages over their competition. The first benefit is the facilitation of a Customer's evaluation of a product for EMC compliance. If a system consists of components that are EMC compliant, then there is a good chance that the overall system will be compliant. Reducing the need to incorporate additional filtering or surge suppression into a product can save valuable engineering time and production costs.

The second advantage that an EMC compliant solid state relay provides is added reliability. Electrical transients, current and voltage surges, and RF interference, are hazards that exist in any commercial or industrial application. Crouzet SSRs do not require any additional protection, such as MOVs or line filters, in order to function normally in most harsh electrical environments. The value in reducing Customer down time due to field failures resulting from this type of phenomena is obvious.

Regardless of the benefits that EMC compliance provides, Crouzet had to evaluate the GN and COOLTECH series solid state relays to additional standards in order to place the CE mark on the relays. The EMC Directive does not allow for the CE marking of components, only complete systems which may be classified as an "end-use product". Instead, the CE mark for Crouzet SSRs is based on compliance with the LVD (Low Voltage Directive, 73/23/EEC), which sets limits for electrical safety. A Manufacturer's Declaration of Conformity for compliance with the EMC Directive, or a CE Certification for compliance with the LVD, is available for most Crouzet relays.

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