CE Marking Overview
CE marking indicates that a product complies with European health, safety, and environmental requirements. For food processing equipment, the applicable directives include the Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC), Low Voltage Directive (2014/35/EU), and EMC Directive (2014/30/EU).
Certification Process
- Identify applicable directives and standards
- Conduct risk assessment
- Prepare technical documentation
- Issue declaration of conformity
- Affix CE mark
Our vacuum cooling equipment is fully CE certified, with complete technical documentation available upon request.
What CE Marking Means, and What It Does Not
CE marking is the manufacturer's declaration that a product meets the applicable European requirements. It is not a certificate issued by an external authority, and it is not a quality or performance rating. Responsibility for carrying out the assessment and for keeping the evidence rests with the manufacturer. Where a directive permits self-declaration, no outside body is involved; where it does not, a notified body has to take part in the relevant part of the assessment.
Deciding Which Directives Apply
The list of directives depends on what the machine contains and how it is used. A vacuum cooler with a motor-driven vacuum pump, a refrigeration circuit, electrical controls and safety interlocks normally falls under the machinery, low voltage and electromagnetic compatibility directives together. Machines that incorporate a pressurised vessel, or that are subject to specific hygiene rules, are assessed against the additional requirements that apply to those features. The assessment always starts from a written statement of the machine's intended use and of the limits within which it is designed to operate.
Risk Assessment and the Use of Standards
Each hazard is recorded with the protective measure adopted and the residual risk that remains. The main hazard groups for this type of equipment are mechanical, electrical, thermal, and those arising from the vacuum and refrigeration circuits. Harmonised standards provide the technical route for demonstrating conformity; where no harmonised standard covers a particular feature, conformity has to be justified on engineering grounds and the reasoning kept in the file.
Building the Technical File
- General description of the machine and its intended use.
- Assembly and detail drawings, and a list of components.
- Electrical and control circuit diagrams.
- The risk assessment and the protective measures adopted.
- The list of directives and standards applied.
- Test reports and inspection records.
- Instruction handbook and maintenance information in the language of the destination market.
- A copy of the declaration of conformity.
Contents of the Declaration of Conformity
The declaration identifies the manufacturer, gives a description sufficient to identify the machine it covers, lists the directives and standards applied, and carries the place, date, name and function of the person signing on behalf of the manufacturer. Because it identifies the machine individually, the declaration is issued per machine or per defined range, and is kept with the shipping documents so that the importer can present it at customs or to a market surveillance authority.
After Delivery
The technical file has to remain available for as long as the requirements apply. The declaration holds for the machine as supplied and installed in accordance with the instructions; modifications to the safety devices or to the control system by the user can take the machine outside the scope of the original declaration. We supply the documentation needed for a distributor or end user to demonstrate conformity on request.