Automotive Glass Testing in Compliance with ECE R43 – TÜV Rheinland is KBA and RDW accredited

Glass used in automotive applications has to sustain different forms of pressure and safety regulations. As a manufacturer or supplier of glass that is used in cars, trucks, busses, commercial, agricultural or other vehicles such as mobile homes or caravans, you are undoubtedly confronted with the fact that your products must comply with the rigorous safety standards that are stipulated in the United Nations ECE R43 homologation program. As accredited and notified body, TÜV Rheinland employs knowledgeable experts that support you with all of your testing and approval processes that are related to automotive glass applications.

TÜV Rheinland is accredited as a technical service laboratory for ECE R43 glass testing for automotive applications. As a precursor TÜV Rheinland is eligible to audit and certify your automotive glass products and production processes under the approval of the RDW (Rijksdienst voor het Wegverkeer - the administrative department and approval authority for the Netherlands) and the KBA (Kraftfahrt-BundesAmt - the administrative department and approval authority in Germany). By this position in the automotive market, TÜV Rheinland is your specialist partner in all quality and certification matters related to automotive glass.

With TÜV Rheinland as your partner for certifying glass for automotive applications in compliance with ECE R43, you:

• Can sell glass to the automotive and vehicle industry, with the reassurance that your products are certified and approved
• Receive full support from TÜV Rheinland experts for testing and approving automotive glass
• Count on help when extending your range to new products
• Get all the necessary quality assurance audits to ensure your production is in compliance with the required standards, verified by COP (Conformity of Production) audits for RDW or appointed contractors

Along with inspections and test services that comply with United Nations ECE Regulation 43 and other industrial standards for automotive glass products, our experts offer glass manufacturers the following services:

• On-site and off-site testing
• Scope definition
• ECE R43 testing on toughened glass, ordinary or treated laminated glass, glass plastics
• Testing for:
• • Fragmentation
  • Mechanical strength (ball drop tests)
  • Head form tests
  • Abrasion tests
  • High temperature tests
  • Radiation and humidity tests
  • Light transmission tests
  • Optical distortion tests
  • Secondary image test
  • Colour tests
  • Resistance to fire
  • Temperature changes and chemical tests

Additionally to checks and testing services for ECE R43 approval, we also provide services in the areas of:

• Evaluation of new designs and / or prototypes
• Flat glass testing for construction and building work
• Glass testing for furniture
• Glass testing for greenhouses
• Special bend glass testing for construction work
• Glass testing for kitchens and showers
• Glass testing for elevators
• Glass testing for sound barriers for motorways / highways and train tracks
• Direct contact with experts

The ECE R43 standards focus on safety aspects and on the robustness of the glass as a critical component in any vehicle. Factors that need to be considered include:

• Impact head form
• Impact of stones
• Optical distortion
• Light transmittance

The RDW (in Netherlands) and KBA (in Germany) are the Dutch respectively German administrative departments (approval authorities) that grant approvals as mentioned in directives 70/156 and the 1958 Agreement of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations (UN-ECE) for glass that is used in the automotive sector.

Regulations and directives applicable to glass for automotive use are:

• United Nations ECE Regulation 43, safety glazing materials intended to be used as windscreens or other panes on power driven vehicles and trailers
• European EC Directive 92/22, adapted by 2001/92/EC, safety glazing and glazing materials on motor vehicles and trailers
• European EC Directive 2009/144, windscreen and other glazing components as used on agricultural or forestry tractors

Examples of the types of projects TÜV Rheinland has managed include:

• E4 in glass for automotive applications
• CE marking for construction glass and glazing
• Burst pressure resistance
• www.certipedia.com – the TÜV Rheinland web-based and online certificates database provides real-time proof of your CE mark, Certificates and implemented Quality Systems
• Testing programs: from "full" to "quick" test programs
• FPC (Factory Production Control) Audits: periodic quality control audits to comply with the required quality system, continuous product testing, and proof for users that the product is stable and consistent