CE Marking

Associated with product safety, the CE mark is attached to certain products in accordance with EU legislation. By attaching the CE mark, the manufacturer declares that the product in question complies with the applicable European directives. However, it is not possible to conclude from a CE mark alone whether independent bodies have checked the product's compliance with the directives. A four-digit number appearing after the CE mark indicates that a Notified Body was involved in the conformity assessment procedure. The CE mark is not a seal of quality.

The CE mark must be applied to all products for which it is mandatory before they can be placed on the market (or commissioned) for the first time; this affects all member states of the European Economic Area (EEA), which comprises the EU member states and the EFTA states (with the exception of Switzerland). This means that the CE mark is not required for products to be placed on the Swiss market.

• Products that are subject to the requirements of an EU directive on account of their type or properties must bear the CE mark before they can be placed on the market and commissioned.
• Manufacturers of technical products are responsible for checking which EU directives they are required to apply during production processes.
• The product may only be placed on the market and commissioned if it complies with the requirements of all applicable directives and an assessment of conformity with all applicable directives has been carried out.
• The manufacturer creates an EU Declaration of Conformity and attaches a CE mark to the product.
• The services of a Notified Body must be enlisted for the conformity assessment if necessary.
• No other marks or seals of quality may be applied in addition to the CE mark if these could call the information declared by the presence of "CE" into question.
• The CE mark is a declaration of full compliance with the "fundamental (safety) requirements" set out specifically in EU directives.
• Exceptions to this rule are only found in cases where specific directives outline different requirements.
• The CE mark only applies to products constructed after January 1, 1993 (or following significant changes made to older machines) and for which an EU Declaration of Conformity has been drawn up.

Servoamplifiers are subject to the requirements of the EMC and Low Voltage Directives. In cases where safety functions in the machine are performed by servoamplifiers, the Machinery Directive also applies. There is still debate surrounding whether servoamplifiers that take on control functions (motion control) for the load independently in conjunction with a motor should be viewed as partly completed machinery.

Servomotors are subject to the requirements of the EMC and Low Voltage Directives. Within the context of the Machinery Directive, motors featuring an integrated amplifier and built-on gearheads can be viewed as partly completed machinery, as they constitute the most important part of the drive.