The Lutz ME motors belong to a generation of motors with a long tradition.In 1988, the motor series ME II was re-developed.For the first time, motors with an electrically conductive plastic housing were introduced to the market, opening up a multitude of new application options at that time.In 1996, the former approval generation was transformed into the new „C certificate“ generation, which became necessary as a result of the voltage being changed from 220 V to 230 V.The next step in 2001 was accompanied by the necessity for the Atex 100a (94/9/EC) approval.Finally, the motor generation was submitted to the PTB (Physical-Technical Federal Institute) last year.With the IEC Ex certificate, following the international standards IEC 60 079-0, IEC 60 079-1 and IEC 60 079-7, the motors were tested and approved according to the latest standards.
International approvals can now be obtained for countries such as Australia, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Finland, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, the Republic of Serbia, Romania, Russia, Singapore,Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Great Britain and the USA.Australia is the first country to recognise the IEC Ex approval without additional requirements having to be fulfilled.
As Atex and IEC Ex are based on the same series of standards, they can be considered to be equal.Hence, further international approvals – see the stated countries – can be obtained beyond Atex with the IEC Ex as a basis, which then leads to a substantial reduction of bureaucracy and documentation expense.For plant construction and operating companies and for manufacturers alike, the IEC Ex approval is an important step towards globalisation.
A next aspect is the US American market, where an increasing number of production facilities is arising that divide the Ex areas up according to the zone system.Atex does not apply here.With the IEC Ex approval, the motors are now also approved in accordance with the European standard.Due to the division into zones, differing requirements on equipment and plants arise, causingmovement in the national safety philosophies.
Background Aim of IEC Ex
With the IEC Ex* Certificate of 07.07.2008, an almost 100 percent international approval for explosion–protected (ExdeIICT6) motors of the series ME II was created for the first time.A global certification system is based on the standards of the International Electro Technical Commission.It applies for different countries having national standards based on the IEC standards.IEC Ex provides a global framework for the independent testing and certification in the field of explosion protection.In future, only requirements beyond the IEC Ex scheme will be presented by the manufacturer to the national authorities for testing. The aim is to reduce costs and time while maintaining a uniform evaluation process and protect users from devices that do not comply with the required safety level.
*IEC (International Electro Technical Commission) Certification Scheme for Explosive Atmospheres, Certificate no. IEC Ex PTB 08-0029.
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