HBM wins prestigious CE Design Award for isolation device

HBM’s high-speed instrumentation development team, based at Dongen in The Netherlands, has won a prestigious CE Design Award for work on its forthcoming ISOBE7600 high-voltage measurement subsystem.

The award was presented by DARE!!, a Dutch company specialised in product certification for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and electrical product safety.

In its citation, DARE!! praised the quality of the ISOBE7600’s design and particularly noted its outstanding safety features, which meet the stringent requirements for EN 61010-1 compliance. These included noting that the user manual contains all information required for the correct and safe use of the product.

DARE!! was impressed by the right-first-time verification which was performed to assure the instrument’s safety properties. It was also the first time ever that a customer had met DARE!!’s safety requirements for CE safety verification without requiring any modifications. The instrument was immediately granted CE approval, which is a significant achievement.

DARE!! annually tests and examines hundreds of products, and certifies them in accordance with EN45011, accredited by the Dutch Council for Accreditation (RvA). DARE!! believes that the importance of CE markings is usually considered too late in the design process. This can result in a retrospective effort to modify products to ensure they comply with European regulations.

In some cases, a complete redevelopment can be necessary resulting in large and unnecessary costs.

To highlight the importance of European directives in product design, DARE!! presents a CE Design Award every quarter to designs that it considers excel in terms of product safety and EMC.

The Autumn 2010 award entitles HBM to conduct its next certification test or survey at DARE!!’s expense.

HBM Netherlands B.V. is a development centre for high-speed measurement instrumentation and software. The imminent ISOBE7600 isolation subsystem is capable of extremely high off-ground voltage measurement. Depending on the installation and voltage dividers used, the instrument can measure virtually any differential voltage on any off-ground potential, with reference to the protective earth (PE).

For more information about ISOBE isolation and transient recording products: www.hbm.com/en/menu/products/measurement-electronics-software/high-speed-data-acquisition/power-and-isolation-products/