What is ATEX and what does it stand for?

ATEX is the short form for ATmospheres EXplosible.

The ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU covers equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. The directive defines the essential health and safety requirements and conformity assessment procedures, to be applied before products are placed on the EU market. It is aligned with the new legislative framework policy, and it is applicable from 20 April 2016, replacing the previous Directive 94/9/EC. (Source)

Any protective systems or equipment to be used in Europe are required to have the ATEX certification and to stay compliant with current ATEX standards. Information needed in the certification includes the notifying body i.e. IMQ, certification number and the CE marking. CE stands for “Conformité Européene" which literally means "European Conformity”.

The purpose of the directive is to facilitate trade by harmonizing “rules” regarding the safety requirements for the hazardous area products.

What is IECEx and what does it stand for?

IECEx stands for International Electrotechnical Commission Explosive. It is a system used to facilitate international trade in equipment and services for use in explosive atmospheres while maintaining the required level of safety.

Benefits of IECEx certification:
- lower testing and certification costs on the manufacturer side
- faster time to market
- greater international confidence
- a single international database listing all certified Explosive (Ex) equipment

Common areas where one might find Ex equipment can be oil refineries/rigs/plants and chemical processing plants. These are normally hazardous environments where Ex proof equipment are required.

IECEx Certificate of Conformity is issued by approved IECEx Certification Bodies (ExCBs).

The purpose of the IECEx Certificate of Conformity attests that a sample of the Ex product described on the Certificate has been independently tested and found to comply with the International (IEC) Standards listed in the certificate. It also attests that the manufacturing site has been audited to verify that the manufacturer’s quality system meets IECEx requirements specified in the IECEx Operational.

Both ATEX and IECEx explosion proof certification standards are based on IEC 60079 standard.

Summary

Now that you understand more about ATEX/IECEx and what they mean. Supermec offers a wide range of ATEX/IECEx approved explosion proof products, such as explosive proof lightning and explosive proof junction boxes to cater to your hazardous area needs.

All of our products are customised to meet the strictest guidelines and standards in the industry.

Contact our friendly sales team at sales@supermec.com or you can drop us a call at +65 68619522 to find out more about our explosion proof solutions. Alternatively, you can visit our ecommerce platform where you can browse through the complete range of explosion proof products for various hazardous areas at your own time.