CE marking
CE marking
When a product is placed on the European market, it must be marked with the famous "CE" symbol.
The CE marking allows consumers to see that the product meets European directives .
The CE marking is only the visible part of the conformity of a product. Indeed, it must also have a declaration of conformity as well as a technical file .
Products sold in Europe must be CE marked but in Switzerland the "CE" symbol is not mandatory , however the entire compliance process remains the same.
Guidelines and standards
To be compliant, a product must follow the essential safety requirements of the various directives that apply. Examples include the following directives for machines:
206/42/EC Machinery Directive
2014/35/EC Low Voltage Directive
2014/30/EC EMC Directive
2011/65/EU RoHS Directive
2014/53/EC RED
The directives give objectives to be achieved, but they do not say how to achieve them. To do this, harmonized standards can be used as proof of conformity for a given directive. The following standards can be cited as an example:
ISO 12100:2010 Risk analysis
ISO 13849:2015 Safety functions
ISO 13850:2015 Emergency stops
ISO 14120:2015 Protectors
Declaration of conformity
Each machine placed on the market must be accompanied by its declaration of conformity . This document certifies that the machine complies with the various regulations and has a technical file.
The declaration of conformity also allows the CE marking to be affixed to the machine.
Different information must be found in the declaration of conformity, the name and address of the manufacturer , information relating to the machine, the directives applied as well as the name and address of the person responsible for the technical file.
Laws and regulations
In Switzerland, when a manufacturer, importer or trader decides to put a product on the market, he must ensure that the product complies with the federal product safety law LSPro .
When this product is a machine, it must comply with the ordinance on the safety of OMach machines.
The OMach Ordinance is an adaptation of the European Machinery Safety Directive 2006/42/EC . This means that by applying the European machine directive, it is possible to market your machine in Switzerland as well as in Europe.
Technical file
The CE marking and the declaration of conformity certify that the product complies with European directives.
To be able to prove the conformity of a product, it must be provided with a technical file which remains with the manufacturer or the importer. This technical file must include various elements of which here are some examples:
Product Description
Plans (electrical, mechanical etc)
Evidence of the application of standards
Tests carried out
Each directive requires specific documents to be compiled for the technical file.
The technical file must remain available 10 years after the last sale of the product.
