CE marking an entire steel production plant demonstrates the potential scale of compliance problems in the process industry (and is a real project successfully accomplished by Conformance engineers). Your process line may be smaller, but similar regulations and standards will apply - and Conformance has the expertise and experience to help you navigate the compliance process.
- Initial consultation to assess your requirements and decide how we can help.
- Identify the directives and standards which apply to your product.
- Conduct a design review to verify compliance with the applicable requirements.
- Provide you with a report outlining areas of non-compliance and advice to help you rectify them.
- Help to compile a technical file which contains the information required by the directives.
- Provide a draft Declaration of Conformity and help you complete it.
- Offer follow up advice when you need it.
Our recent industry experience includes:
- Blast furnace and BOS production
- Milling and classifying
- Snack foods
- Paint production
- Concrete products
- Rolling mills
- Fuel from waste
- Effluent treatment
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a minimum internal volume of a vessel for which the Pressure Equipment Directive applies?
There is no formal lower volume limit within the directive, although in practice the classification table in annex 2 extend only down to 0.1l However, the slopes of the limit lines on these charts are numerically defined so it is possible to extrapolate below 0.1 l if required.
If the pressure of the vessel is high enough to give a PS.V product higher than the limit line given in the table, then the equipment is one of the categories which require CE marking even if it has a volume smaller than 1 l. For instance, if the volume is 0.5 l but the pressure is 250 bar then the vessel will be category III. This situation is referred to in the second part of article 3 para 1.1 which states:
"for fluids in Group 1 with a volume greater than 1 L and a product of PS and V greater than 25 bar-L, or with a pressure PS greater than 200 bar (Annex 11, table l).."
Do industrial gas systems require CE marking?
Equipment which is used to distribute natural gas at low pressures around an industrial site, and which may be considered as part of the site building services, will not require CE marking.
Equipment which is used to distribute natural and other gases at higher pressures (> 0.5 bar gauge) may be within the scope of the Pressure Equipment Directive, in which case CE marking may be required.
Equipment which uses natural gas or LPG as a fuel will require CE marking, either under the Gas Appliances Directive (for space heating) or Machinery Directive (for process heating).
You can find the answers to many more CE marking questions in our knowledgebase.
Other relevant products and services we offer
Online shop
Our shop allows you to purchase a range of useful resources such as self-certification packs, checklists and declaration formats.
Prepaid Consultancy Time
You can purchase consultancy from our online shop in blocks of 30 or 60 minutes to provide quick help when you need it.
Training
Our machinery training covers the requirements of the Machinery Directive and how to ensure your machinery complies. We also do more basic 'introduction to CE marking' courses.
Design assistance
We can assist with interpreting the requirements of the directives and standards and applying them to your products. We can also draft instruction manuals, check the content of product labels, data plates, and packaging.
Technical files
If you are unsure what technical documentation you need to show compliance with the Directives we can provide contents lists and formats for compiling and storing the information.
Self-assessment materials
You will find checklists and formats for risk assessment in our online shop. We have many other checklists and report formats which are not in the shop - please contact us if you are looking for something specific and can't find it.
On-site inspection/assessment
We will visit your works to inspect and assess your machinery and identify any areas which do not comply with the applicable directives and standards.
Self certification guides
We provide guides which identify the applicable directives and standards for your product and all the other information you will need to do your own assessments. Every guide is tailored to your specific requirements and includes detailed information on how to do the assessment, checklists and formats for recording the results and a draft of the Declaration of Conformity you will need to sign when the process is complete.
Control system analysis
Analysis of the reliability of controls (e.g. emergency stops and guard interlocks) can be complex and difficult, particularly where there are significant numbers of safety-related control functions. Our machinery experts are experienced in conducting functional analysis of machines and systems and can help you navigate complex standards such as EN ISO 13849 and EN 62061 which apply to machinery.