When working within hazardous or explosion-prone environments, products must fulfill the ATEX or IECEx directive. ATEX is an abbreviation for “ATmosphere EXplosible,” and is a European directive for explosion-proof electrical and mechanical products. Similarly, IECEx is the global standard for hazardous environments. In applications where products may be subject to explosions, or to hazardous mixtures of air gases, vapes, mists or dusts which can combine to ignite, it is required that products fulfill these standards to ensure safety. In this article, we will introduce these directives, as well as the products we offer at B-COMMAND to fulfill this standard.
What exactly is the ATEX and IECEx Industry?
There are a number of industries that may be subject to the ATEX and IECEx directive. These include: mining, petrochemical plants, offshore platforms, and flour mills, just to name a few. As ATEX is a European directive, national governments are required to implement the standard within their region. IECEx is an international standard prepared by the International Electrotechnical Commission. Companies that operate within the industry must ensure that products used within their facilities are satisfying these requirements to ensure safety.
What Products for the ATEX industry are available through B-COMMAND?
At B-COMMAND, we offer a number of safety components that meet the requirements for hazardous areas. These include:
ATEX Pendant Station
Our LadyX pendant station is a single- or double-row operating device for auxiliary currentapplications in hazardous areas. Due to the specially developed metal housing made of aluminum, along with special seals and explosion-proof cable entries, the LadyX pendant station is both ATEX and IECEx approved.
ATEX Cross Limit Switch
The AlphaX explosion-proof cross limit switch is designed to control the movement of overhead cranes, bridge cranes, other lifting equipment and complex industrial machinery used in potentially explosive atmospheres. The AlphaX cross limit switch offers many different switching configurations, and the cross bars can move to 3 or 4 fixed switch positions, or can be used as a multi-turn limit switch without an end position.
ATEX Rotary Limit Switch
The FRX rotary limit switch is our newest product in the ATEX-approved product line. This rotary limit switch is used to control the movement of industrial machinery in hazardous areas. The housing of the FRX offers space for 2, 3, or 4 snap-action switches with 1NO / 1NC changeover contacts. All normally closed (NC) contacts are force-opening NC contacts for safety functions.
ATEX Slip Ring
Our ATEX slip ring was especially developed for use in silos. Various metals for rings and busts enable the transmission of high electrical power, signals, and data from BUS systems. Two module sizes are available with power ratings of 7A and 34A. Rings and brushes, which are made of copper graphite as standard, can be coated with a silver or gold alloy. This increases the contact quality and has a positive effect on the wear properties.
Given the requirements of the ATEX industry, it is important to find a product supplier who is familiar with the standards who can help you find the right solutions for your application. To see all the specifics of the B-COMMAND ATEX products, please see our product catalog. If you do not find exactly what you are looking for, one of our customer service representatives would be happy to help you.