EMC Testing Labs in Grenoble – Accredited Facilities

Schneider Electric F-Lab (Volta & Amplitude)

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F-Lab is Schneider Electric's French testing and expertise centre in the Grenoble area, split across two platforms - F-Lab Volta at 28 rue Henri Tarze in Grenoble and F-Lab Amplitude at 31 rue Pierre Mendes France in Eybens - and connected to Schneider laboratories in the United States, China, Spain, India and Germany through the One Labs network. It occupies 14,000 m2, employs around 120 technicians, engineers and experts across five test poles, invests roughly one million euros a year in new test equipment and draws on 80 years of low- and medium-voltage systems experience. It is COFRAC-accredited to IEC/ISO 17025 under three separate numbers (1-0140, 1-6324 and 1-7287) and runs its own metrology laboratory. On the EMC side it operates two semi-anechoic chambers of 117 m3 and 486 m3 for emission and immunity work plus radiofrequency communication testing including 2.4 GHz protocols, but the reason to know about F-Lab is what surrounds the EMC chambers. Three power alternators (two of 600 MVA and one of 2,500 MVA) feed four tracks and six LV and HV test cells rated to AC 2,200 V / 300 kA for 1 s (700 kA peak) and DC 2,000 V / 200 kA for 1 s, supporting short-circuit breaking, short-time withstand current, electrical endurance and internal arc testing with X-ray observation. Climatic chambers run to 230 m3 for multi-stress testing, there is a 72 m3 acoustic chamber, vibration to 57 kN nominal sine force, dielectric HV testing, dimensional control, metallography and materials analysis. Third-party certification bodies including ASEFA, ASTA, LCIE, TUV Rheinland, DEKRA and OVE supervise testing on site under the IECEE OC scheme, and F-Lab is a founding member of the French high-power testing stations association ESEF for medium-voltage work. A Project Test Leader service manages certification programmes end-to-end with those bodies. Market focus is distinctive: military and merchant marine qualification with recognition from BV, RINA, DNV and Lloyd's and COFRAC accreditation for standards such as IACS E10 and Stanorg, EV charging station validation with E.V. Ready 1.461 and Z.E. Ready accreditations, and nuclear industry conformity testing including seismic qualification combining physical test and simulation.