Pilz Helps Exporters in Wind Industry Get CE Mark

CANTON, Mich., Dec. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Wind turbine companies wishing to export to the European Union need to get their products CE marked or they will not be compliant with European law.  A declaration of conformity for wind turbines is necessary because by definition, a wind turbine is a functional machine, and as such it falls within the scope of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

For this reason wind turbines need to be issued with a declaration of conformity in accordance with Annex IIA of the Machinery Directive and will also be subject to the CE marking process.  The CE marks confirms that a machine conforms to the European directives.

Pilz Automation Safety can guide companies through all the phases en route to CE certification for wind turbines. 

Pilz offers risk analysis as the basis for the declaration of conformity.  This procedure is based on a thorough, competently executed and systematic risk analysis that detects and evaluates potential hazards and then employs appropriate safeguards to reduce these hazards. The result of the risk analysis is then incorporated into the development of an appropriate safety concept.

Pilz offers wind turbine manufacturers comprehensive support in performing the risk analysis.  The risk analysis includes identification of applicable standards, and regulations and best industry practices.  The analysis also includes determination of the limits of the wind turbine, examination of all the hazards throughout the entire lifecycle and all operational phases.  The analysis also contains the recommended approach for reducing risk, based on the current standards.

Also, Pilz engineers have developed a methodology for testing safety-critical elements on wind turbines, based on decades of experience in machine validation. It examines whether the implemented safety measures meet all the requirements. The test applied during validation covers:

• Assessment of the selected components
• Assessment of the implemented designs in comparison with the safety requirements
• Implementation of a function test and fault simulation
• Test of the safety-related software and hardware functions
• Test of the sensor/actuator technology and its wiring
• Production of a test report with detailed information about the results

SOURCE Pilz Automation Safety