Frequently asked questions on CE marking and conformity

CE marking is not a test seal but the manufacturer's declaration that the machine meets all applicable EU legislation. The path there: determine the applicable legislation, select standards, carry out the risk assessment, implement protective measures, compile the technical documentation, write the instructions for use, issue the declaration of conformity, affix the CE marking. Only then may the machine be placed on the market. Read in full

When it is placed on the EU market or put into service as machinery for the first time, including in-house builds for your own operation. Partly completed machinery receives no CE marking; it gets a declaration of incorporation. CE marking can also become necessary again after a substantial modification. Read in full

Only the manufacturer within the meaning of the Machinery Regulation or its authorised representative. The manufacturer is whoever places the machine on the market under their own name. That can also be the operating company that links up an installation itself, or the main contractor combining several trades into a complete installation. The role follows from what a party actually does, not from the title in the contract.

Clarify the applicable legislation, determine the machinery category, select standards, carry out the risk assessment to EN ISO 12100, implement protective measures in design and technology, validate the safety functions, write the instructions for use, compile the technical documentation, sign the declaration of conformity, affix the CE marking. For high-risk machinery a notified body may be added depending on the case. Read in full

The technical documentation: general description, overall drawing with control circuit diagrams, detail drawings and calculations, risk assessment, list of applied standards and legislation, test and measurement records, instructions for use and the declaration of conformity. On top of that the declarations and data sheets for bought-in safety-related components. Read in full

It contains fixed mandatory content: manufacturer and, where applicable, authorised representative, unambiguous identification of the machine, applied legislation, applied standards with their edition, where applicable the notified body, place and date, plus the name and signature of the person authorised to sign. Varying the wording is possible; leaving out mandatory content is not. Read in full

As a minimum: name and address of the manufacturer, identification of the person authorised to compile the technical documentation, description and identification of the machine including series or type designation, an express declaration of conformity with the relevant legislation, the harmonised standards applied, place and date of issue, and the identity and signature of the signatory. If one of these is missing, the declaration is formally incomplete. Read in full

The EU declaration of conformity belongs to machinery and declares conformity with all relevant legislation. The declaration of incorporation belongs to partly completed machinery; it names the essential requirements that have been met, states expressly that putting into service is prohibited until the final machinery has been declared conform, and undertakes to transmit the documents to the authority on request. Read in full

Whenever you supply partly completed machinery, that is a product clearly intended to be incorporated into other machinery and which does not perform a function of its own. Assembly instructions are supplied together with the declaration of incorporation. CE marking under the Machinery Regulation must not be affixed in this case. Read in full

A person authorised by the manufacturer to act with binding effect for the company, usually a managing director or an expressly authorised person. The signature is not a technical confirmation by the design engineer but a legally binding declaration by the company. It should therefore only be given once the technical documentation is genuinely complete. Read in full

At least ten years from placing the machine on the market. For series production the period starts with the last unit delivered. During that time the documents have to be complete, legible and unambiguously assignable to the machine in question. Read in full