ABSTRACT
The terminology “Technical Regulations” encompasses both the legislation dealing with manufactured products and technical issues, but also non-mandatory technical rules and procedures. The regulations aim at solving, at least partially, important problems linked above all to safety, but also for economical savings, durability and environmental concerns. To improve a specific situation, a comprehensive approach is frequently needed, including standardization. Standards contain unambiguous requirements, but also, when needed, detailed testing methods. The Standardization Organizations, whether worldwide, European or others, offer a choice of ways for efficiently reaching consensus in the form of high status written documents called Standards, Technical Specifications or Workshop Agreements. Early on, it is best to reflect on the need for amended or new standards, and, if such a need exists, to start the standardization process in many cases as soon as possible. This also applies, for example, to research and technical development projects, which can frequently usefully encompass a Work Package Standardization.
Standardization can represent a key aspect of an improvement project in industrial applications, in particular, when harmonized requirements and/or testing methods are really needed. This chapter begins with a summary of standardization characteristics and advice for choosing the best procedure. This is followed by a presentation of a recent methodology, the so-called “Integrated Approach”, to get large-scale beneficial impacts. The specific analysis of both the existing standards in the field of robotics and the foreseen future standards in the sector will be presented later on by another author in another chapter.
