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  3. SMC and EU directives

EU Directives

SMC commitment to European standards

The directives that are relevant for the supply and application of components and systems supplied in Europe by the SMC Corporation are summarised below.

It is illegal to supply products in the EU subsequent to the date of legal enforcement without a CE mark if they are required to carry the mark. It is also illegal to fix a CE mark to a product where it is not required, so it is important that the supporting documented declaration clearly indicates for which directives compliance is claimed. Fixing of the mark to the product is the responsibility of the manufacturer, or the supplier if the product is imported from outside the EU.

All of the Directives listed below (with the exception of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC) have recently been recast to align them with the New Legislative Framework decision 768/2008/EC and Regulation (EC) 765/2008. They replace the Directives in parenthesis below. The new Directives came into force fully in April 2016 and are quoted on Declarations of Conformity of SMC products from that date.

For more detailed information, visit EU official webpage for Harmonized Standards.

Simple pressure vessels (SPVD)

Applies to welded vessels pressurized >0.5 bar, intended to contain air or Nitrogen.

Pressure Equipment Directive (PED)

This Directive applies to the design, manufacture and conformity assessment of pressure-containing products and assemblies for fluids (both liquid and gaseous) subject to a maximum allowable (rated) pressure greater than 0.5 bar above atmospheric pressure. For the purpose of the Directive, there are four categories of Pressure Equipment: Vessels, Piping, Safety Accessories and Pressure Accessories.

Machinery Directive (MD)

Essential health & safety requirements relating to the design and construction of machinery and safety components.
 
Applies to an assembly of linked parts or components, at least one of which moves and which are joined together for a specific application. Also includes lifting equipment and safety components.

Electromagnetic Compatability (EMC)

Specifies the limits of emission of electromagnetic radiation from, and immunity to EM radiation of, electrical and electronic apparatus. Apparatus is defined as a finished product intended to be put into service as a single unit, including fixed installations.

Low Voltage (LVD)

Applies to equipment operating at between 50 V and 1000 VAC or 75 V and 1500 VDC.

Equipment for explosive atmospheres (ATEX)

ATEX definitions: Potentially explosive atmospheres are atmospheres likely to become explosive due to local and operational conditions. The ATEX Directive is concerned with explosive atmospheres which are defined as: mixtures with air under atmospheric conditions, of flammable substances in the form of gases, vapours, mists or dusts in which, after ignition has occurred, combustion spreads to the entire unburned mixture.
 
The following applications are explicitly excluded by the ATEX Directive and must comply with other specific Directives: Medical Devices; equipment or safety devices to be used with explosive or chemically unstable substances; equipment for domestic and non-commercial environments where an explosive atmosphere is generated by leakage of fuel gas; Personal Protective Equipment; offshore vessels; mobile units and means of transport.
 
Check our portfolio of ATEX compliant products.

Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances (RoHS)

It restricts the use of the following six dangerous substances in electrical and electronic equipment: Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Cadmium (Cd), Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+), Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE). PBB and PBDE are flame retardants used in several plastics.
 
For more details on SMC commitment to green procurement, visit our RoHS dedicated page.