The Information

Legislation, prEN 1279

Many manufacturers have been preparing for EN 1279 for a few years now. Thankfully the waiting is almost over and the hard work will soon be paid back. For those that have not got the FPC in place, the free service from Ulmke should help no end.

26/5/2005 STOP PRESS: BS EN 1279 has been approved by all appropriate committees and the 21 month count down starts now. Be ready by getting your units in for test sooner rather than later and by preparing your FPC as soon as possible. Ulmke Metals offers free 1279 FPC support and FPC model.

Background

CEN standards are designed to create a level playing field for products sold in the European Union and to ensure that the products offer a reasonable service life.

The UK signed up to the construction products directive, (CPD) a number of years ago and this directive requires that glass units are manufactured to the same standard across Europe. The CPD will make CEN a legal requirement to UK IGU manufacturers.

Conformance to prEN 1279 will be proved by marking the unit with a CE mark. Obviously the unit can only be marked if it, and the manufacturer, have been tested and comply with the standard.

prEN 1279 has six parts.

Part 1 Set up a quality manual stating:

• Rules for system description
• Generalities
• Dimensional tolerances

Part 2 & 3 Test Sample Units

• Moisture penetration Index, (MPI), measurement result
• Gas concentration/ leakage tolerances
• Audit test requirements

Part 4 Obtain Sealant Performance Data

• Initial seal strength
• Strength after water immersion
• Strength after heat exposure
• Strength after UV exposure
• MVTR

Part 5 Evaluation of Conformity & Levels of Attestation.

This part of the standard has not yet been voted on and is the part of the standard that is holding up the implementation of the whole standard. It will determine how conformance will be tested in practice. Conformance will be proven by the unit wearing a CE mark.

Part 6 Production Controls and In Factory Quality Tests

Part 6 is the part of the standard which will cause the greatest problems to sealed unit manufacturers. It can involve a fundamental change to working practices and requires the adoption of a quality culture.

Manufacturers are advised to consider how they will set up a Factory Production Control System, (FPC) now. This will ensure that the business will be ready for to conform before prEN 1279 is law. In turn, this will minimize disruption and aggravation and allow the manufacturer to benefit from rigorous quality control sooner rather than later.

• Implement quality plan
• Consider registering for testing now

Timescale

It is law. The countdown started at the end of May.

View Timetable Here.

THE TIMESCALES ON THE DIAGRAM REPRESENT THE MAXIMUM - IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THEY MAY BE SHORTER THAN THOSE INDICATED OR EXPECTED. MANUFACTURERS ARE URGED TO ACT NOW.

What about Kitemark?

BSI continue to offer the Kitemark option and requiring a tougher FPC and quality program be implemented. This will be in accordance with ISO 9001: 2000. It will ensure that those manufactures with Kitemark can continue to use it to differentiate their products and service. Kitemark will therefore run alongside EN1279. Some customers may continue to specify the Kitemark.

Testing

BSI and Chiltern Dynamics have made significant investment in test equipment but this equipment has a finite capacity.

Current capacity will not be able to cope with every sealed unit manufacturer in the UK submitting units in the months immediately leading up to implementation. Testing abroad is not likely to have a significant cost advantage and is likely to be inconvenient at best. Indeed, many Continental test houses seek to serve their own domestic market and have not built in capacity for testing other countries products.

IGU manufacturers should show their willingness to comply with the standard through making arrangements now. This will mean that action would at least have been attempted if the timetable for implementation is shorter than expected.

Manufacturers are urged to arrange unit testing sooner rather than later.

The certificate issued to manufacturers who have submitted units and passed part 2 of the standard DOES NOT imply CEN conformance but does show the units have been tested and meet the requirements of part 2 in respect of the moisture penetration index. Declaring conformity is a different matter and you should talk to Ulmke who can explain the implications of declaring conformity.

Factory Control

Setting up an FPC is seen by some as one of the more daunting aspects of the standard. It is not. Many industries have gone through exactly the same route and developing an FPC is not a difficult process. It does, however, require time and patience to develop and some changes to the operation prior to the implementation stage.

A popular option is to hire a consultant to do the hard work so you don't have to. However, it is your factory and you know it better than any consultant. Implementing the FPC yourself will give you a much better appreciation of the standard and of your own operation.

What To Do

The option of taking no action is not valid because compliance is mandatory.

The General Steps:

Prepare a technical file to include:

• Materials used
  
• Dimensions and tolerances.
  
• Details of the standard characteristics and performance of the sealed unit.

• Set up and operate a Factory Production Control System
• Manufacture units for test
• Test units
  
• Obtain test results for sealant conformity
• Wait for further guidance on product marking

Sealed unit manufacturers need to consider their future in this market carefully. CEN will not necessarily cause a major structural change in the industry and will, therefore, not necessarily cause a decrease in demand. There will still be a market for sealed units.

The only thing that will cause manufacturers to stop manufacturing sealed units is inaction.

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