TEST LABS: CTCV Accredited to Test Auto Safety Glass

June 7th, 2005

AMECA, the Automotive Manufacturer Equipment Compliance Agency, recently accredited the Technological Centre of Ceramics and Glass (CTCV), a private nonprofit organization in Portugal, to test automotive safety glass and glazing materials.

AMECA requires accredited agencies to be technically proficient and maintain a record keeping system. AMECA also requires every laboratory to establish and use a documented calibration program to assure the required degree of accuracy in measurements. The documented accuracy of all measurement instrument standards must be traceable to primary standards maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) or the national physical laboratory maintaining such standards in the country in which the laboratory is located.

CTCV was founded in 1987 supports the ceramics, cement and glass industries in Portugal. It promotes the development and quality of industrial products and processes and provides highly specialised training to industry personnel.

It has close links with several Universities and Research Centers, both in Portugal and abroad. It is a founder of an European network of R,D&D Ceramic Technical Laboratories, the CerLabs, cooperating together towards a better European industry and the coordinator-member of the Portuguese Association of Technological Centers, named RECET.

The Automotive Manufacturers Equipment Compliance Agency, Inc. (AMECA) is the agent for various states of the United States to provide equipment compliance services. The AMECA program is the only program of its type in the United States. This Equipment Compliance Program is centralized, one-stop, and notifies government, industry and the general public about compliant motor vehicle safety equipment. Our Notice of Equipment Compliance is recognized as evidence of compliance with the regulatory requirements with our representative jurisdictions.

Every item listed by AMECA has been tested by an AMECA-accredited laboratory and found to be in compliance with applicable United States standards. Our clients are the national and international automotive industry, the standards-setting community, the federal government’s General Services Administration (GSA), numerous state governments, as well as some foreign governments.

AMECA maintains a listing of items that have been tested and currently comply with the applicable standards. Called the “Compliance List of Automotive Safety Devices,” this listing is updated quarterly and is available free as an Adobe PDF document distributed via email. The international “List of Acceptable Plastics for Optical Lenses and Reflectors Used on Motor Vehicles” is also maintained by AMECA. This document is updated twice a year and is also available free as an Adobe PDF document distributed via email. To receive your free copy of either document send an email request to info@ameca.org.

More information on CTCV is available on their website.

Entry Filed under: Component Test, Test Labs