Tratos has invested 2.5 million Euros in new fire testing equipment at its factory in Pieve, Italy enabling the company to respond faster to Construction Product Regulation (CPR) requirements.
The company’s cables can now be tested in its own laboratories ahead of classification and certification by a designated Notified Body for CPR testing. Tratos aims to deliver greater customer confidence and quicker response to orders covered by the new CPR requirements.
The investment by Tratos also enables the company to carry out R&D testing for new materials to improve the quality of its products and achieve a higher minimum standard for cables; all of Tratos’ CPR Reaction to Fire cables meet the higher Euro Class of Cca.
CPR came into force on 1st July last year and requires all reaction to fire cables supplying electricity, used for control and communication purposes and installed permanently in a construction works to meet European Standard EN 50575. This standard specifies the expected performance requirements of the cable, as well as the test and assessment methods to be used.
Last year Tratos experts joined representatives from VDE Offenbach for a facility visit at Taurus instruments in Germany. During the visit they saw a demonstration of the new fire testing machine; VDE in Offenbach is Germany’s only BauPVO test facility. Among a wider-range of testing it tests single-cable to EN60332 and carries out bunched-cable fire testing to EN 50399.
Tratos’ strategic aim was to buy the same Taurus Instruments machines used at VDE Offenbach to ensure all its products are ready-tested for CPR compliance.
