Man-with-a-Van responds to today's testing needs
By Ken Webb, Richard Poate and Mark Jenkins, TUV Product Service Limited
Apart from the very largest pieces of equipment and systems, it has been the tradition for manufacturers to dispatch products to a test laboratory for assessment to EMC, safety and telecommunications standards. Often, equipment would be away for many weeks, particularly if several types of testing were required. If insufficient time had been allocated in the development timeframe, it was not unusual for testing to jeopardise marketing plans.
In recent years, product lifecycles have shrunk. With the squeeze on development time and the absolute necessity of meeting market windows, manufacturers are looking to test houses to provide a better service, supporting their time-to-market objects. One response to this pressure has been the expansion of in-situ testing services, which have been shown to dramatically reduce testing timecycles, and are therefore growing in popularity. The simplest explanation for the substantial improvement in test turnaround seems to be that in-situ testing focuses the minds of both manufacturer and testing service provider, reducing testing time from weeks or months to a few days.
In much the same way as the just-in-time concept has revolutionised production management, the man-with-a-van testing service has arrived to bring a new level of response and convenience to the manufacturer and other users of compliance services.
Expansion of existing services
Some testing services, for example RF and powerline surveys (Fig. 1), installation measurements and so on, are by definition in-situ, and capability for taking the EMC test laboratory into the field has existed for many years.
Fig. 1 Testing services such as powerline surveys are by definition in-situ
However, two trends have been observed over the past year. Firstly, there is a move towards taking not only EMC but also safety and telecomms testing into the client’s premises. Secondly, it is increasingly popular to test equipment as small as a mobile phone, for instance, in situ (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2 In-situ testing is increasingly popular for smaller items of equipment
While the availability of a wide range of in-situ testing opportunities may come as a surprise to many manufacturers, there are distinct advantages in terms of cost, convenience and time-to-market.
Reduced timescales
The in-situ test engineer is free from the distraction of other tasks. The client’s expectation that testing will be carried out swiftly and efficiently to minimise costs are therefore satisfied by the test engineer’s exclusive focus on the job in hand.
Right first time
The process of sending equipment for test, receiving it back for design fixes, and re-submitting it – a loop which was sometimes repeated twice or more – was logistically complex and time consuming, particularly for equipment manufactured outside of the UK. Face-to-face interaction considerably simplifies the task of explaining to the client the reasons for equipment failing tests. Test engineers report that nine times out of ten their offer to advise on design fixes on the spot will be accepted. Facilities are on hand to carry out remedial action, and immediate re-test and approval is possible. At the end of the visit, compliance is assured, speeding the product to market.
Even where on-the-spot fixing is inappropriate, opportunities for discussion will enable the engineer to leave the client with a detailed knowledge of the problems and advice on how to remedy them.
Quality system on the move
Test houses offering in-situ testing will have involved the appropriate accreditation bodies as a preliminary to setting up the service. From the client’s perspective, test engineers will carry their quality system with them, and the use of test results to obtain CE marking or certification for entry into other markets is unchanged. EMC in-situ testing can provide data for inclusion in a Technical Construction File for assessment by a competent body. For safety testing, CB reports will be accepted worldwide, as before.
For EMC and safety testing the test engineer will arrive with all the necessary equipment. For telecomms testing it is more common for the engineer to use the client’s own equipment, which will have been installed for development purposes, and simply carry out a quality audit and pre-test check to ensure that equipment is calibrated to the required standard. All of the ‘big three’ base station manufacturers use this method for compliance testing, and network operators are readily accepting in-situ testing as a viable way for manufacturers to access third-party testing.
While in-situ testing is most usually invoked for safety, EMC and telecommunications approvals, there have sometimes been instances where environmental testing has also been carried out using the client’s own equipment.
Simply hiring an engineer to come in and carry out conformance testing saves the manufacturer the cost of a dedicated engineer required only for a small part of the development cycle.
Flexibility
Because in-situ testing has rapidly risen in popularity, test service providers have been encouraged to channel investment into this resource in preference to laboratory services. As a result, there is now a good chance that manufacturers will be able to access testing services at short notice. They will enjoy the convenience of having a service delivered to their door when required, with none of the logistical problems associated with laboratory testing. Equipped with a laptop, the test engineer will often be in a position to hand over a draft report in an electronic format before leaving the premises.
For products which require testing for EMC, safety and telecommunications approvals, visits from specialist engineers provide the most streamlined way for getting a complex test programme completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
As well as performing the testing themselves, mobile engineers can also carry out witness testing to provide a further alternative route for obtaining approvals.
Test engineers report that manufacturers most often cite flexibility as the greatest benefit of in-situ testing, providing them with the services they need when they need them in a cost-effective package.
Right next time
An important benefit of in-situ testing is that it helps to de-mystify compliance testing for the manufacturer. By taking advantage of opportunities to involve the client in compliance issues, test engineers can help to ensure that future development work is informed by a better understanding of requirements and techniques. The test engineer can also assist with time-consuming tasks such as tracking down component approval documentation. Particularly in cases where companies have previously relied on self-declaration, personal contact may help the designer to appreciate for the first time issues which may have been overlooked.
Wide-ranging services
Areas in which in-situ testing will prove beneficial include EMC and safety testing for
- CE marking and compliance
- RF and powerline surveys and
- qualification and verification testing.
EMI/EMF surveys may be required, for example, by mobile phone operators, local councils, hospitals, schools, infrastructure agencies such as the Highways Agency, railway operators, police etcetera, and large building contractors required to demonstrate compliance with international guidelines. Prime contractors and/or system integrators or equipment suppliers can benefit from EMC in-situ testing in order to meet contractual requirements to enable systems to be taken into service (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3 EMC in-situ testing can enable systems to be taken into service
Machinery and electrical safety testing, for example to the EU Low Voltage and Machinery Safety Directives requirements, can be carried out in-situ, as can telecomms testing for the R&TTE Directive and GCF requirements.
In fact there are few limits to the compliance requirements that cannot be satisfied by in-situ testing, with the approval of the appropriate accreditation body.
Worldwide services
In-situ testing is not confined to the UK. Test engineers based in the UK have travelled all over Europe, and to the US and Asia. In the case where testing generates a large volume of data, for example in base station testing, it has even proved worthwhile for reports to be vetted, and certification awarded, in situ.
In half a century of compliance testing there has been a gradual evolution of services in response to the increasingly heavy burden of compliancy requirements confronting the manufacturer. In-situ testing is the latest development, with the potential for speedily delivering the data required for market entry, delivered by engineers experienced in problem solving and accepted by the relevant accreditation bodies.
For further information contact TÜV Product Service Limited, Segensworth Road, Titchfield, Fareham, Hampshire PO15 5RH.
Tel: (01329) 443322. Fax: (01329) 443421.
Email: info@tuvps.co.uk URL: http://www.tuvps.co.uk/
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