Radio Frequency Testing

As the core peripheral of office and entertainment, Monitor/Display has always been an important category of China-Europe electronic trade. However, the EU market has extremely strict access standards for electronic products, involving multiple dimensions such as electrical safety, electromagnetic compatibility, environmental protection and energy efficiency. For Chinese manufacturers, whether they can successfully obtain CE certification and comply with relevant eco-design regulations directly determines whether their products can pass customs and be legally sold in the European market.

1. Compulsory access: the four pillars of CE certification

The CE mark is the "passport" for displays to enter the EU market. Displays are complex electronic and electrical equipment, and their CE certification is not the compliance with a single directive, but must meet the requirements of the following four core directives at the same time:

Low Voltage Directive (LVD 2014/35/EU):

This is the core directive related to electrical safety. The presence of high voltage circuits inside the display (especially for products with built-in power strips) must be tested according to EN 62368-1. The test focuses on electric shock protection, insulation resistance, electrical clearance and creepage distance, flame retardancy of fireproof materials, etc., to ensure that the product will not cause electric shock or fire injury to users in the fault state.

Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive (EMC 2014/30/EU):

The display should neither interfere with other devices nor have the ability to resist interference.

EMI (Interference Emission): According to the EN 55032 standard, test radiated disturbance and conducted disturbance to prevent electromagnetic waves generated by the display from affecting wireless communication.

EMS (Anti-interference): According to the EN 55035 standard, test the immunity of electrostatic discharge (ESD), lightning Surge (Surge) and other items.

RoHS Directive (2011/65/EU):

Limit the content of 10 harmful substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) in products. The screen panel, housing plastic and internal PCB of the monitor must meet the limit requirements.

4. ErP Ecodesign Directive (2009/125/EC):

This is the most heavily regulated area in recent years. According to European Union Regulation (EU) 2019/2021, displays must meet specific energy efficiency requirements, including the Energy Efficiency Index (EEI) in operating state and power consumption in shutdown/standby mode.

2. Focus on: EPREL energy efficiency label registration

In addition to passing the traditional CE certification test, the EPREL (European Union Energy Label Product Database) registration is now mandatory for monitors exported to Europe.

New Edition of Energy Efficiency Label: Products must post a new version of the energy label with a QR code (rating from A to G).

Database entry: The manufacturer needs to enter the technical parameters into the EPREL database before the product is put on the market. Consumers can check the detailed energy efficiency information of the product by scanning the QR code on the label.

Mandatory sleep: Regulations mandate that the monitor has automatic standby function, and the standby power consumption usually needs to be less than 0.5 W.

3. Voluntary certification: bonus points to enhance market competitiveness

Although customs clearance can be achieved with CE, the following voluntary certification is often a "stepping stone" to win the favor of large European buyers (such as government and enterprise procurement):

GS certification (Geprüfte Sicherheit):

German safety certification. Although voluntary, in the minds of consumers in German-speaking areas, the credibility of the GS mark is much higher than that of the self-declared CE mark. It has more detailed requirements for ergonomics (ISO 9241 series of standards), such as screen flicker-free, blue light control, etc.

2. TCO Certification:

Global sustainability certification from Sweden. TCO not only focuses on electronic safety, but also covers social responsibility (CSR), hazardous substance control and recycling design. It is the standard feature of high-end commercial displays.

Technical Tips:

For monitors with external power adapters, the adapter itself must also be CE certified separately. It is recommended that the complete machine manufacturer confirm whether the supplier can provide a complete CE certificate (LVD + EMC) and RoHS report when purchasing the power supply, so as to avoid the complete machine being detained due to accessory violations.

4. One-stop service of GTG Guangce Group

Display certification involves many standards and is updated quickly (especially energy efficiency regulations). GTG Guangce Group has a complete IT/AV equipment testing laboratory and energy efficiency testing center, which can provide enterprises with full-link solutions from EN 62368 safety testing, EMC rectification, RoHS chemical analysis to EPREL energy efficiency registration.