With the acquisition of the „REAL“ (Rapid Environmental Assessment Lab) from Motorola the VDE-Institute strengthens its quality and environmental tests. The extension of the environmental tests represents an important addition to the safety tests of the VDE Institute. The „REAL“ is incorporated into the area of chemical material analyses of the VDE Institute with the following tests: RoHS and PAH tests, recycling tests according to the WEEE directive, compilation of material declarations, special material analyses as well as life cycle assessment of electrical products, for instance concerning their carbon footprint. The laboratory, as one of the few laboratories in the world, holds an accreditation against DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 concerning the global RoHS test standard IEC 62321 and has substantially contributed to the standardization of the IEC testing procedure. On account of the extensive experience and the high quality the „REAL“ was selected by the Joint Research Center of the EU as the reference laboratory for the testing of flame retardants. The personnel transferred from Motorola and the testing engineers of the VDE environmental laboratory in Offenbach now perform chemical tests in excess of 10.000 tests per year. One main focus is the field of mobile communication. “The VDE environmental laboratory is now one of the major establishments for chemical examinations worldwide, including the recently opened VDE environmental laboratory in the Peoples Republic of China (Foshan)” according to Wilfried Jäger, Managing Director of the VDE Institute.

Abkürzungen:
RoHS = Restriction of Hazardous Substances: Prüfung auf Verbotsstoffe
PAK = polyzyklische aromatische Kohlenwasserstoffe: Prüfung auf krebserregende
Substanzen
WEEE-Richtlinie = Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment: Richtlinie über Elektro- und
Elektronikaltgeräte
IEC = Internationale Elektrotechnische Kommission

Ansprechpartner im VDE-Institut:
Dr. Michael Riess, Tel. 069 8306-830, michael.riess@vde.com