Opening of the EMC Competence Center in Fulda
The electromagnetic properties of a wide variety of products can now be tested in Fulda.
Fulda, July 4, 2024 – Following a construction period of just under a year and a half, the EDAG Group, the world's leading independent engineering service provider, has now opened its new, state-of-the-art competence center for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in Fulda. At the opening on July 3 and 4, 2024, partners, customers, journalists and local politicians were able to find out more about the new facility.
After being welcomed by the management and the Group's EMC experts, the visitors were taken on a joint tour of the new building's futuristic interior. This gave them the opportunity to get an exclusive, on-site impression of the test environment for electromagnetic compatibility, which covers an area of 2,500 m². Customers from fields such as medical technology, agriculture, construction and the mobility industry can benefit from the EMC center in Fulda, and have their products tested.
Advanced laboratory for extensive testing
As a result of digitalization, the number of electronic components in products will continue to increase in the years to come. All of these generate an electromagnetic field which could potentially affect the way in which other components function. It is therefore important to measure the interference emissions and immunity of electronic components, and so check their electromagnetic compatibility in accordance with legal regulations.
EDAG's EMC center is a state of the art facility and, with its various test chambers, offers the ideal test environment for products of all shapes and sizes: circuit boards, for instance, appliances, passenger cars or trucks. In addition to anechoic chambers, the equipment also includes a shielded room and several amplifier chambers. The facility also complies with the latest standards. It has TISAX certification and has been accredited by the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) in accordance with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025.
"This investment is our way of promoting safe product development and offering our customers a comprehensive service that will help them to substantially reduce their additional costs," explains Andreas Boländer, Head of the EDAG Group's EMC Center. "While vehicles, machines and devices are still at the development stage, we are already working with our customers to ensure that EMC faults can be identified and prevented as early as possible. On top of this, we offer very comprehensive advice, and provide specific recommendations for action."
Opening up new industries
As the visitors at the opening event discovered, it is not only vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers who benefit from the EMC Center. Companies from other sectors can also arrange for components, assemblies and products to be measured in the anechoic chambers, in accordance with applicable standards.
Even in the early stages of development, the EMC team can help with the creation of test plans and with the correct selection of relevant test standards. The corresponding test results are then analyzed and summarized in a final report. The team of experts is then at hand to help customers select suitable optimization measures.
The increasing complexity of many vehicles is giving rise to increasing numbers of electric components. This is something we are preparing for. At the same time, we are also aware of the increasing relevance of EMC for networked systems," says Harald Keller, CEO of the EDAG Group. "For us, the EMC center is an important step in the expansion of our service portfolio – and for opening up new sectors."
"The fact that we have managed to build a state-of-the-art EMC center in such a short time is down to our dedicated team, who have done an outstanding job not just in the last few months, but also during the planning and preparation phase," stressed Jork Rother, Senior Vice President at the EDAG Group, during the opening ceremony.
Also located at the EDAG site in Fulda is the company's Accredited Test Center (ATC), an additional test facility in the immediate vicinity. The test center specializes in environmental simulation, electrics/electronics testing and physical-chemical test methods. With the EMC Center, the EDAG Group is closing a technological gap in the validation of electronic components. This gives customers the chance to obtain everything from a single source and, with the help of customized test plans, to save on prototypes and components in development.
Further information on the EDAG Group's EMC Center can be found here: EDAG EMC testing and certificate