Application of the new EU directive 2014/32/EU (MID) has become compulsory on 1 November 2016 and it has been implemented in German law in the Verification Act (MessEG) as well as the Verification Ordinance (MessEV). Apart from the correct measurement of lengths, the requirements for the recording, confirmability and traceability of the measurements have been tightened considerably. The main change is the demand for permanent and non-corruptible storage of all measurements.
Specifically, the legislator demands that information on each measurement be stored securely, permanently and unchangeably. Apart from the actual length, the date and time of the measurement as well as information about the measuring instrument used are of relevance. All of these data are to be identified by means of an unambiguous and unique identifier, the objective being to ensure continuous traceability of each measurement. This means that machines may only be brought onto the market if they meet these requirements and have been accepted by a conformity assessment body (e.g. German Physical and Technical Institute, PTB, or the verification office) by way of a conformity assessment. The successful assessment of the measuring instruments is confirmed by the declaration of conformity issued by the manufacturer (e.g. Vetter) and is valid throughout Europe.
For companies who wish to sell the cables to third parties in the normal course of business, this means that only length measuring instruments meeting these requirements may be procured in future. The purchaser of a measuring machine with declaration of conformity is obliged to register the measuring machine with the competent verification office (in Germany www.eichamt.de) immediately following the acquisition. Machines with a declaration of conformity from Vetter are deemed duly verified until expiry of the respective nationally regulated verification period. In Germany the rule is that validity of the conformity assessment is of two years. In retail sale the validity is unlimited as long as no seal is damaged or the maximum number of errors permitted in service is not exceeded. Divergent regulations may apply in other countries. These are obtainable from the applicable national laws.
On expiry of the conformity assessment for the above-mentioned reasons, the competent verification office must carry out a reverification. Before this reverification, examination, adjustment and calibration of the measuring machine by trained personnel is recommended.
Thanks to the EU type examination certificate issued by the Federal Institute of Metrology METAS in Switzerland, machines of the new M series from Vetter can be used throughout Europe, irrespective of whether for use as measuring instruments on coiling machines or as a stand-alone solution for individual use. They offer the demanded uniformity, security, transparency and confirmability for buyers and sellers of cables within the European Economic Area. At the same time, the modular concept of the new series also enables use in direct sales or purely internal use and thus rounds off the complete range of applications for cable length measurement.
The Vetter cable measuring machines from the M 20-M60S series correspond to accuracy class III (+/- 0.5 %) ac-cording to EU Directive 2014/32/EU (MID) at temperatures of 5-40 °C with a minimum cable measuring length of 5 m for M machines and 10 m for MZ 20-M60S machines.
- KT 001 - Declaration for MZ-MZ/S, with mechanical counter, only for direct sales or purely internal use.
- KT 002 - Declaration for M-M/S, with electronical counter, for business use in absence of the buyer.
