How Do EMC and Pre-compliance Testing Reduce the Development Costs of Industrial Power Supply Systems?
23/06/2026
Author: Justyna Rojek
Stable and reliable operation of power supply systems in industrial environments depends on their increased immunity (EN 61000-6-2) and limited emissions of disturbances (EN 61000-6-4). Placing a device on the European Union market requires compliance with the requirements of the EMC Directive 2014/30/EU. The manufacturer must document the results of EMC tests and, based on them, issue an EU Declaration of Conformity before the product can be legally placed on the market. Many prototypes do not meet these requirements during initial testing and require modifications.
Pre-compliance Testing as the Foundation for Reducing R&D Costs
Sending an unverified prototype to an accredited laboratory without prior engineering tests often results in the need to repeat the tests multiple times. This significantly extends the time required to bring the product to market and, above all, involves very high testing costs.
An alternative is preliminary EMC testing, known as pre-compliance testing, performed in-house or at an independent facility using advanced measurement equipment. These tests enable rapid identification of sources of interference and characterization of their properties, allowing filters to be optimized, shielding to be improved, and signal path integrity to be verified. As a result, the product reaches the certification body at a much more mature stage, increasing the likelihood of passing the EMC tests successfully on the first attempt.
MERAWEX Laboratory Capabilities
Emissions Testing
Emission testing includes measurements of conducted and radiated disturbances using an EMI receiver with a maximum measurement frequency of 3.6 GHz. Radiated emission measurements are performed in a GTEM (1500) semi-anechoic chamber, allowing devices with external dimensions of up to 0.5 × 0.5 × 0.5 m to be tested at frequencies of up to 2 GHz.
The MERAWEX laboratory also provides the possibility of measuring current harmonics for equipment with a maximum supply current of up to 16 A, as well as voltage changes (voltage fluctuations and flicker) caused by the operation of the device under test.
Depending on the type of device under test and its operating environment, emission testing is carried out with reference to standards including:
- PN-EN IEC 61000-6-3 – generic emission standard for residential, commercial, and light-industrial environments,
- PN-EN IEC 61000-6-4 – generic emission standard for industrial environments,
- PN-EN 55032 / CISPR 32 – multimedia equipment,
- PN-EN 55011 / CISPR 11 – industrial, scientific, and medical equipment and certain equipment using high-frequency energy,
A comprehensive range of emission tests is particularly important for manufacturers of industrial electronics, automation equipment, IoT devices, power supplies, converters, household appliances, lighting systems, medical devices, measuring equipment, and equipment connected to the public low-voltage network.
Immunity Testing
Immunity testing verifies the correct operation of the product under real-world interference conditions, reducing the risk of failures. It includes a full set of tests:
- ESD (EN 61000-4-2): electrostatic discharges up to 15 kV,
- EFT/Burst (EN 61000-4-4): fast transients up to 5.5 kV,
- surges (EN 61000-4-5): surge pulses up to 7 kV,
- conducted disturbances (EN 61000-4-6): induced by radio-frequency fields (up to 10 V, 150 kHz–230 MHz band),
- electromagnetic field (EN 61000-4-20): immunity to radiated fields from 80 MHz to 2.7 GHz at 10 V/m,
- power supply (EN 61000-4-11): voltage dips, short interruptions, and voltage variations,
- other disturbances: damped oscillatory waveforms (EN 61000-4-12), power-frequency magnetic field (EN 61000-4-8), and pulsed magnetic field (EN 61000-4-9).
Electromagnetic immunity testing makes it possible to verify whether the product continues to operate correctly in the presence of typical disturbances occurring under real-world operating conditions. It is an important part of the conformity assessment process, technical documentation preparation, and risk reduction for failures during operation.
Insulation and Safety
EMC testing is complemented by product safety tests, including high-voltage dielectric strength testing of the insulation (DC or AC) and measurement of the resistance of protective connections.
Implementation and Contract Manufacturing
The effectiveness of this methodology is demonstrated by MERAWEX power supply designs operating in demanding industrial, power engineering, and fire safety applications. Ensuring electromagnetic compatibility in industrial power supplies is a complex engineering challenge. MERAWEX offers comprehensive support – from the concept stage, through engineering pre-compliance testing, to contract manufacturing in accordance with the IPC-A-610 standard. This partnership helps minimize the risk of non-compliance during certification, optimize product development costs, and significantly accelerate time to market.
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