Pattern Approval Certification: Four Traps to Plan Around
Pattern Approval Certification sits outside the EAC system, each country runs its own procedure. Four things decide whether a project runs to schedule: serial certification takes 4 to 6 months, sample requirements differ by scheme, the nameplate production date must be later than the certificate registration, and primary verification still follows on delivery.
Is pattern approval part of EAC certification?
Pattern Approval Certification does not belong to the EAC certification system. Each country runs a separate procedure for it. A manufacturer holding EAC documents for a measuring instrument has not thereby dealt with metrology, and that is the first assumption to discard.
What follows are the four factors that decide whether a project keeps to its schedule.
Trap 1: how long does it take?
| Route | Duration |
|---|---|
| Serial certification | 4 to 6 months |
| Batch certification | 3 months minimum, depending on item count |
The serial figure covers documentation development, testing, finalising the application and registration.
The common failure is starting too late. Six months is a long time to discover you needed after a supply contract has been signed.
Trap 2: how many samples?
Samples provided for testing must be assembled, with all required accessories and operational instructions. A part-built unit sent ahead of its accessories is not a sample.
| Route | Samples required |
|---|---|
| Serial production certification | At least 3 |
| Batch certification | Every serial-numbered item listed in the supply contract |
That second row is the one that changes a quotation. Batch certification of forty items means forty items tested, not a representative three.
Trap 3: the production date on the nameplate
For serial production, the date of production shown on the nameplate must be later than the date the certificate was registered.
Units built before registration are not covered by the certificate that follows. A manufacturer who builds ahead to shorten the delivery time can find the resulting stock unusable for the market it was built for.
For batch certification the production date does not matter, because each item is tested and registered individually.
Trap 4: primary verification still comes afterwards
Once the certificate is issued and the product reaches the market, it has to pass primary verification. Every item in the batch is verified and calibrated, and receives a Primary Verification Certificate.
Periodical calibration then follows the interval specified in the metrological certificate, an interval the laboratory sets during the initial certification.
The procedure itself is short:
- The product is imported
- Delivered to the laboratory
- Each item is calibrated
- Primary Verification Certificates are issued
- The batch is delivered to its destination and installed
Simple, but it comes after delivery, and it belongs in the customer’s commissioning schedule as well as yours.
Sources
- National metrology legislation on ensuring the uniformity of measurements
- National registers of approved measuring instrument types
- Federal Information Fund for Ensuring the Uniformity of Measurements
Frequently asked questions
How long does metrological certification take?
Serial certification usually runs 4 to 6 months, covering documentation development, testing, finalising the application and registration. Batch certification depends on the number of items, but 3 months is the realistic minimum. Producers most often start too late rather than doing anything wrong.
How many samples are needed?
Serial production certification requires at least 3 samples to be tested. Batch certification requires testing of every serial-numbered item listed in the supply contract. Samples must be assembled, with all required accessories and operational instructions.
Why does the nameplate date matter?
For serial production, the date of production on the nameplate must be later than the date the certificate was registered. Units built before registration cannot be covered by it. For batch certification the date is irrelevant, because each item is tested and registered individually.
Not sure which of these applies to your product? Send it and we will tell you
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