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ProTag
Systems |
About ProTag
The
ProTag System was released in late 2001. It is now Australia's leading
professional, high volume testing, tagging and asset management system.
Users include government, schools, colleges, universities,
manufacturing, hotels, construction, mining, telecommunications,
broadcast, hire industry, electrical contractors and safety
consultancies around Australian and New Zealand.
The system benefits from the combined resources of Emona Instruments,
Australia's leading supplier of electronics and electrical test and
measuring instruments, and Seaward Ltd, the world's leading manufacturer
of electrical safety testing equipment and software.
The application note below explains how the unique integration of
Seaward testers and software as well as Emona printers and software has
revolutionised the usually laborious process of testing and tagging. To
imagine that users would handwrite test tags and logbooks over thousands
of appliances is almost unthinkable, in the light of the advances
provided by the ProTag System.
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Copyright
2007.
Emona Instruments Pty Ltd.
All Rights Reserved.
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New
Technology Improves Testing & Tagging Efficiency
Computer based
automated systems are improving efficiency across all areas of our daily
lives. It was only a matter of time before automated testing and tagging
systems were introduced that would dramatically decrease the time spent
on the manual processes of appliance testing, log book entry and
handwriting test tags. The benefits of this new technology are not only
improved testing throughput, from 8 to 12 tests per hour up to 30 or
more tests per hour, but improved profitability for service providers,
more accountable and accurate record keeping for clients and a guarantee
that testing procedures fully comply to AS3760:2003 in ways that are
impossible with the use of a multimeter and an insulation tester.
Automated Testing, Record Keeping & Tag Printing Systems
Automated
testing systems conduct tests according to preset test parameters,
provide an unambiguous Pass/Fail status of the item under test, record
the results on on-board memory that can be downloaded to PC database
management software and print a customised test tag on-site. An example
of an automated AS3760 system are the Seaward ProTag Systems. The systems
comprise of the Seaward PrimeTest 300, Supernova XE 3760, Europa Plus or Europa XE
Testing Instruments, the Optima, ProTag or ProTag Lite Test Tag Printers,
PATGuard Elite Record keeping software and a bar code scanner.
The
PrimeTest 300, Supernova XE, Europa Plus or Europa XE testers feature a large LCD
screen and simple menu driven operation. Simply enter the appliance
number via the QWERTY keyboard or swipe the appliance bar code, select
the appliance site and location, choose the type of appliance from a
menu list and conduct the test. The process is fast, easy and accurate.
All individual test values are recorded by the tester and are added to
the history of the tested appliance when the results are downloaded to
the PATGuard Elite software. As well as database management, PATGuard
Elite software
also allows reports such as "Tests Completed" or "Next
Tests Due" to be easily printed or distributed via email and
includes an E-Sheduler function that automatically emails alerts for
tests that are due. The Optima and ProTag
printers can also be customised to print the contractor's company logo
and contact information on each test tag, ideal for promoting the
contractor's services. Alternatively, the client's logo can be printed
on each test tag to identify the asset's owner.
Throughput of up to 30+ Items per Hour
Test the appliance, print the test tag, peel it off, stick it on the
appliance and automatically save the results. The system easily allows
up to 30 items to be tested and tagged per hour, providing an enormous
potential for improved efficiency and profitability. Consider the
increase in turnover for the service providers when at the typical
market rate of $5 per test tag, you are processing 30 or more tests per
hour versus the typical manual processing rate of 8 to 12 tests per
hour.
The next test is even faster because the test tag includes the appliance
number as a bar code. Swipe the bar code and the tester recognises the
appliance and the tests required from the previously conducted test.
This also guarantees continuity of test procedures, essential in
recognising if an electrical item's safety is deteriorating over time.
Accountability & Accuracy
The ProTag System's automation guarantees accountability and
traceability. Automated record keeping removes any possible doubts that
may occur when manually recorded log books are used as evidence of
testing should an incident occur.
Also, the PASS/FAIL status on the test tag is printed directly from the
tester and can only be output from the system's stored test results.
This guarantees the test tag's accountability, without relying on any
human interpretation or manipulation.
Complying to AS3760:2003
If your current testing and tagging program simply involves the use
of a multimeter and an insulation tester or the low cost Pass/Fail PAT
testers on the market, then you should be aware that
this type of testing does not comply with the requirements of
AS/NZ3760:2003. It is now mandatory for leakage current tests to be undertaken with Class I and Class II equipment that has an
electronic, magnetic or membrane type on/off switch. Most modern office
equipment uses membrane type On/Off electronic switches as do many power
tools. Examples of
magnetic switches include new toasters (which will not latch without
power applied) and some new power tools. Insulation testing of these appliances
no longer complies with AS3760:2003. Such appliances must be powered to get past the electronic or
magnetic switch. You may be passing an appliance which has a fault
beyond the switch!
Under these types of circumstances, a Class I item requires a leakage
current test to be with maximum leakage of 5mA and a
Class II item requires a leakage current test to be conducted with a
maximum leakage of 1mA. These types of tests must be available on your
appliance testing instrument to comply to AS/NZ3760:2003 and are not found on
any handheld testers or models that are manufactured to British or other
overseas standards. The Seaward PrimeTest 300 Supernova XE, Europa Plus and Europa XE were designed from the
ground up to comply to AS3760:2003.
All Class I appliances have a protective earthing conductor as their
safeguard against electrical faults. The Seaward Supernova XE, Europa Plus and Europa XE testers allow for
testing of this earth connection with a current of 25A, stressing the
earth connection and searching for poor earth connections of a few
strands or less. This cannot be achieved with a digital multimeter or an
insulation tester, but only with a dedicated appliance tester that
provides a 25A earth bond test.
The use of anything other than a 25A appliance tester is only checking
the earth continuity, and not the integrity of the earth bond. In a
worst case scenario, an appliance tested with a multimeter or insulation
tester may return a pass reading for earth continuity, but in reality
was only connected by a single strand. If the appliance subsequently
developed a fault and fault current flowed through the earth conductor
fusing the connection, the appliance will then look for a suitable
earth, which could be the operator. While not required by AS3760:2003, a
25A earth bond test is widely regarded as "Best Practice" for
testing the earth connection of an appliance.
Try this with your multimeter when testing for earth continuity! A
continuity test for earth will pass several strands while a 25A earth
bond test will test the robustness of the earth and fuse an earth that
is only held on by several strands.
2 Hours of Testing Per Month to Breakeven
With the amount of testing and tagging required across the workplace
today, many service providers are specialising in this type of work and
finding it very profitable, particularly if they are taking advantage of
the new technology and are equipped beyond the multimeter and insulation
tester level. Leasing of the ProTag System is less than $300 per month.
With the going rate for testing and tagging typically $5 per item, the
breakeven point is as few as 60 items. Since the ProTag system can test,
tag and record up to 30+ items per hour, it takes as little as 2 hours
of testing and tagging work per month to pay for the system lease.
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