ATEX certification

ATEX certification indicates that the product is compliant for use in potentially explosive or flammable atmospheres.
In fact, the acronym stands for ATmosphères and EXplosives.
It is regulated by two standards issued by the European Union: 2014/34/EU and 99/92/EC concerning the regulation of equipment and the safety of workers in explosive atmospheres.
The ATEX standards classify products according to the type of used environment and the hazards of the environment.
The main groups division is the following:‍
* Group I: use in mines.
* Group II: exterior use.

The groups are then divided into Categories according to the specific product level protection and into Zones according to the frequency and time of exposure to combustible substances as well as the composition of the potentially explosive environment such as: Gases, Dusts, Fibers, etc.
An additional classification criterion is the component temperature which has T1 to T6 classes.
Products are subjected to stringent resistance, impact and temperature tests to designate the ATEX class they belong to.