Certification/accreditation for busbar assembly

[Dryjoint]

Good day all. I've just had my first form4/type2 mcc signed off. Being the first venture away from wardrobe type enclosures, I followed the advise of an enclosure manufacturer and had the enclosure equipped with busbars by a company who told me that they are accredited to undertake such work (indeed, it is their bread & butter). I have been unable to find any references to the required certs/standards for this type of work but would prefer to do it in house next time. Can anyone offer advice, please? Thanks.

 

[dpc]

I know we are all busy, but you need to take enough time to tell us what country you are in and/or what codes/standards you are talking about.

I'm assuming you are somewhere in the world besides the US, because I have no idea what a Form4/Type 2 MCC might be.



"Theory is when you know all and nothing works. Practice is when all works and nobody knows why. In this case we have put together theory and practice: nothing works... and nobody knows why! (Albert Einstein)

 

[Dryjoint]

Oops! Yes, just got home (had to walk the last bit due to ice & snow). I'm in the UK. MCC = Motor control centre. Form 4 type 2 (and other variations) refers to barriers and segregation within the box. So it'll be european standards. Thanks for taking the time to look.

 

[ScottyUK]

Man, you are in for a tough time.

Currently there's BS EN 60439, which is soon going to be replaced by BS EN 61439. EEMUA publish a guide on the older standard, and Schneider have a good document on the differences between the old and the new standards.

Under the old standard you'll almost certainly be asked for 'Type Testing', although the test requirements are slightly different under the new standard. It's a competitive world you are trying to enter. Good luck.


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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[Dryjoint]

Hmm, thanks, Scotty. I've searched for the replacement and found an interesting comparison document. Seems like time to fork out on a standard!

 

[ScottyUK]

A word of warning... some sceptics, of which I'm definitely one, think the new standard plays some cute games with the wording to allow breaker casings and terminal shrouds to provide part of the segregation which was normally implemented by solid partitions in the older standard. Maybe not an issue with a Type 2 board but certainly worth looking at for the higher types.

Cynics - I'm one of them too - might suggest that this is because certain manufacturers with a lot of influence on the standards committee and who also have a big share of the building services market (cheap & nasty high volume products) want to offer what the new standard suggests is equivalent to a Form 4 Type 7 board while using little more than standard breaker components. It can easily be prevented if you take care when writing the spec to demand solid metallic compartmentalised construction, but it will catch some people out (or they just won't care because they're just installers who don't have to operate or maintain it).


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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[Dryjoint]

Thanks again Scotty, for an interesting peek into the murky world of electro-semantics. I seem to recall your answering one of mine a couple of years ago with an equally enlightening slant.