Motor vehicle safety glass: MPA NRW tests for the world market

In the testing laboratory for motor vehicle safety glass all safety-relevant properties of the glazings of a vehicle type are tested. The mechanical strength, the breakage behaviour, the resistance to the environment influences and the optical qualities of the glass or the plastic are tested.

The testing laboratory for safety glass has been designated by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, KBA) as Technical Service for the approval tests of motor vehicle safety glazings. This designation as well as additional accreditations of MPA NRW enable the approval of motor vehicles equipped with these glazings on many important markets of the world.

MPA NRW has been accredited as testing laboratory for motor vehicle glazings by:

  • the German Accreditation Body ("Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle", DAkkS) and designated by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, KBA) for tests according to ECE-Regulation No. 43, according to the EC-Directives 92/22/EEC, 97/24/EC and 2009/144/EC and according to German §22a StVZO TA No. 29,
  • the US-american "Automotive Manufacturers Equipment Compliance Agency" (AMECA) for tests according to US-american standard ANSI/SAE Z26.1-1996 respectively FMVSS No. 205,
  • the MOTC Taiwan for tests according to the "Vehicle Safety Testing Directions", Item 25-1.

Tests are e.g. conducted on toughened safety glass, laminated safety glass, plastic glazings, double-glazed units and films. Such approval tests form the basis for German type approvals (national), international ECE-approvals ("E1-marking") and EC-type approvals ("e1-marking") as well as for national type approvals of other states. Furthermore, tests according to the American ANSI-standard are also conducted for the "DOT-marking".