🇪🇺 European Directives - Safety in Product Use
Low Voltage
Directive 2014/35/EU
Safety of Electrical Equipment for the European Union
The Low Voltage Directive (2014/35/EU) of the European Parliament and of the Council harmonises the laws of the Member States relating to electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits, i.e. between 50 and 1000 V for alternating current and between 75 and 1500 V for direct current. The main objective of the directive is to ensure that electrical equipment available on the European market complies with high safety standards in order to protect the health and safety of persons, domestic animals and property, while ensuring the proper functioning of the internal market.
What Does the Low Voltage Directive Regulate?
The directive lays down requirements for the safety of electrical equipment intended for use at certain voltages. These requirements include protection against physical injury caused by direct or indirect contact with electrical equipment, prevention of overheating or arcing, and protection against mechanical and non-mechanical hazards.
Safety Objectives:
Electrical equipment must be designed and manufactured in such a way that the health and safety of persons, domestic animals and property is not endangered by proper installation, maintenance and use. This implies that the electrical equipment must also be safe under normal and foreseeable conditions of use.
Obligations of Economic Operators:
The Directive imposes specific obligations on manufacturers, authorised representatives, importers and distributors of electrical equipment to ensure compliance. Manufacturers are obliged to ensure that their products comply with the safety requirements, to draw up the necessary technical documentation and to perform or have performed the conformity assessment procedure. The CE mark must be affixed to attest to the conformity of electrical equipment with European standards. Importers and distributors must check that products are in conformity before placing or distributing them on the market, ensuring that all safety measures are respected.
Free circulation:
The directive ensures that compliant electrical equipment can be made available unhindered on the EU market. Member States may not impose stricter safety requirements than those laid down in the directive in order to enable the connection and supply of electricity to users.
Safeguard Procedures:
The legislation provides a procedure to inform interested parties of measures taken by Member States against electrical equipment that presents a health or safety risk or that does not comply with the legislation. In such cases, the European Commission may intervene to resolve disagreements or address urgent situations.
Exclusions from the Directive
Certain materials and phenomena are excluded from the Directive, such as electrical materials intended for use in environments exposed to explosion hazards, electrical materials for radiology and clinical use, electrical parts of lifts and lifts, electrical meters, bases and plugs of household sockets, radio interference, special electrical materials intended for use on ships and aircraft, and customised evaluation kits for professionals used only in research and development facilities.
CE Marking and Technical Documentation
The directive requires manufacturers to affix the CE marking to their products to demonstrate compliance with EU regulations. The technical documentation, drawn up by the manufacturer, must enable the conformity of the product with the requirements of the directive to be assessed. Once compliance has been verified, the manufacturer must draw up and sign a declaration of conformity.
How SIMEL Complies with the Low Voltage Directive
SIMEL is committed to strict compliance with the requirements of the Low Voltage Directive. Our motors and electrical components are designed and manufactured to ensure maximum safety under all intended operating conditions. We apply strict quality control procedures and use materials that fully comply with the safety requirements of European legislation. Furthermore, we ensure that each product carries the CE marking, confirming compliance with the standards of the directive and guaranteeing safety for our customers and end users.
🇪🇺 European Directives - Safety in Product Use
Electromagnetic Compatibility
Directive 2014/30/EU
Safety and Interference-Free Operation
The Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive, number 2014/30/EU, was enacted by the European Parliament to harmonise the laws of the Member States regarding the electromagnetic compatibility of electrical and electronic equipment. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) refers to the ability of a device to function properly in its electromagnetic environment without causing or suffering from unacceptable electromagnetic interference. The objective of the directive is to ensure the functioning of the internal market by requiring equipment to comply with an appropriate level of EMC to protect the safety of users and the operation of other devices.
Essential Requirements of the EMC Directive
The directive sets out essential requirements that equipment must comply with:
- Electromagnetic Emissions: Equipment must not emit unacceptable electromagnetic disturbances that may interfere with the operation of other equipment or services, such as telecommunications, radio communications and safety devices.
- Immunity to Electromagnetic Disturbances: Equipment must be designed to be sufficiently immune to external electromagnetic disturbances, ensuring fault-free operation.
- CE Marking and Conformity Assessment: Equipment must bear the CE marking, which demonstrates conformity with the requirements of the directive. Conformity must be assessed by the manufacturer through specific procedures, such as internal production control or EU type examination.
Obligations of Economic Operators
The EMC Directive places obligations on manufacturers, importers and distributors to ensure that only compliant equipment is placed on the market:
- Manufacturers: They are responsible for designing and manufacturing equipment that complies with EMC requirements, affixing the CE marking and providing the necessary technical documentation.
- Importers and Distributors: They must ensure that equipment complies with the directive before placing or distributing it on the market. They must also co-operate with market surveillance authorities by providing all necessary information.
Exclusions from the Directive
The directive does not apply to all equipment. For example, fixed installations intended to be used permanently at a pre-determined location, radiocommunication equipment and certain categories of equipment for specific use such as those intended for aeronautical environments are excluded.
🇪🇺 European Directives - Safety in Product Use
EcoDesign
Directive 2009/125/EC
Ecodesign to Reduce Environmental Impact
The EcoDesign Directive (2009/125/EC) of the European Parliament aims to reduce the environmental impact of energy-using products throughout their life cycle. Through the adoption of eco-design requirements, the directive contributes to improving energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fostering the sustainable use of natural resources, promoting sustainable development at EU level.
Essential Requirements of the EcoDesign Directive
The directive states that energy-related products must comply with a series of environmental requirements covering various aspects of their design and production, including:
- Energy Efficiency: Products must be designed to minimise energy consumption during use, contributing to energy savings and reduced environmental impact.
- Durability and Repairability: They must be designed to last and be easily repairable in order to reduce waste generation and extend the useful life of products.
- Recyclable Materials: Materials used in products must be easily disassembled and recyclable at the end of the product life cycle.
- Reduction of Hazardous Substances: The use of substances harmful to the environment and human health must be minimised or eliminated.
- User Information: Manufacturers must provide clear information to enable proper use, maintenance and recycling of products to promote sustainable user behaviour.
Self-Regulation and Complementarity with Other Community Instruments
In addition to mandatory requirements, the directive encourages industry self-regulation by incentivising manufacturers to voluntarily implement solutions to improve the energy efficiency of their products. The EcoDesign directive is complementary to other European environmental legislation, such as the energy labelling directive, the eco-label, waste management and the restriction of hazardous substances.
CE Marking and Conformity
All products that comply with the requirements of the directive must bear the CE marking, which indicates compliance with safety and ecodesign standards. The CE marking proves that the products comply with European standards and can be freely marketed within the EU.
How SIMEL Complies with the EcoDesign Directive
SIMEL applies the principles of the EcoDesign Directive to the design of its electric motors, aiming to minimise energy consumption and ensure that the materials used are recyclable. For example, the materials used in Simel motors are selected to ensure both energy efficiency and the reduction of hazardous substances, ensuring that the life cycle of the products is as sustainable as possible.