Topic split from original thread: Create color areas with solder mask.
CE marking is more than just “marketed in the EU” … have you ensured you are covering all the requirements to register it for CE marking. there is a world of pain if you mark something as CE and it does not conform and you haven’t applied for the marking
I think this discussion should be moved to a new thread.
Anyway, I would be interested in the opinion of which logos have to be on a circuit board, which ones should be on it, yes and which ones give the whole thing a face.
My understanding is that the CE marking applies to the product, not a component like the PCB. Putting a marking on the PCB is a hangover from UL marking for flammability.
CE means that ALL relevant standards are met, Safety, EMC and EMI, any product family specific standards.
It CE label has to be supported by a company inside the EU.
A CE marking cannot legally exist on its own, it has to be backed by a declaration of conformity which in turn has to be backed by appropriate technical documentation, sometimes including lab test reports. The marking alone is meaningless because it doesn’t tell which aspects (EMC, RoHS, specific product group standards) are covered by it. Claiming conformity by adding a CE mark to non-conforming product could be worse than omitting it entirely, exposing you to very substantial fines either way.
You have to check all potentially applicable laws against your product. Some laws/directives are mutually exclusive (e.g. RED vs. EMC directive), some might even prohibit a CE marking and declaration of conformity for a specific aspect (while still allowing it if mandated by other laws). Your product may be exempt from some regulations, but not all of them. Some laws may be applicable independent of any CE marking and declaration of conformity.
Usually, there are broad and explicit exemptions for anything you’re doing as a hobbyist or for development purposes; most regulations will only cover commercial operations (“placing on the market”). Importing products into the EU can still be covered by some laws, even if done for your private use without any intention of reselling.
tl;dr: do not sell any product without checking the laws, but ignore any commercially used markings for your own private hobby projects. Do NOT copy markings without understanding their meaning.
I’ve had to get UL and CE certifications on products - it is Not quick nor is is free of cost and it takes time… There are ‘Self-Certification’ aspects to it…
You can’t simply slap a sticker on something and call it good. If you put CE/UL certified products inside your gizmo, you can Self-Certify many products but… If you have your gizmo happily working on you desk and it does not fully contain certified components and/or is possibly of a dangerous nature, then you must submit it for testing and certification.
I’ve worked with both organizations, toured their facilities, watched testing (the Fire and Flammability testing is cool - taking products of all sorts beyond the limit to failure…)
The first step is to know what it involves… Google it - example
ADDED: Re: UL
UL Stands for ‘Underwriters Laboratory’. They are just around the corner from me (15 miles). Yes, they are/were mostly concerned about puff&smoke but, they do a lot more than that… I had one simple project for client - a Heater for sailboats while docked. Just a simple heating element, some wires in a plastic box. Cost $10k for UL testing& Cert.
Companies insurance req’d full testing and cert or they would not insure liability…
What happens when all components that come on a circuit board are already CE certified. Can I put the CE logo there? Or does it need to be re-evaluated?
The second, it is easy to have a lot of certified parts combined leading to fail causing bad sequences.
A new PCB or product intended for the market must be CE certified. According to the category of the product, different documents describe the requirements. EU orders are freely available in their website, however the standards they are referencing are commercially available.
There is a lot of equipment out there that does not meet CE requirements, especially EMI immunity. Way too many engineers think that only RF emissions are regulated. Actually you are meant to show immunity to RF fields, ESD and various AC power disturbances, transients and surge.
It is not an easy question to answer. In theory, it is not enough.
The final product could be a toy, a washing machine, a tv set or a pencil. It must fulfill its related directive.
One thing to get advice here. But ultimately, this is a legal question?
Mostly. Nothing related to KiCad.
One thing relevant to PCBs and KiCad is highlighting safety barriers. Under IEC 60950 there was a fixed width safety barrier required in mains powered boards. I would highlight this with a silkscreen layer hatching. The new standard IEC 62368 introduced the dreaded risk assessment to set the barrier width required.
Working for MIL and Automotive customers, this is part of my daily business.
The only way to find out what the requirement for your SPECIFIC product is, to ask a lab certified for certifications. Certification cost must be part of your financial calculations.
Marking the pcb applies only to the plain pcb!
The complete device must have it’s own markings oon the outside,
There are two ways to do this: either just put a CE sign on your device and hope for the best or pay someone for consulting. I had a consulting recently regarding the certification of wireless devices to be sold in the EU and it was about 2000€. As a result you get a list of standards you need to follow, a list of tests you need to do and most importantly a list of documents you need to have readily available in case someone asks. The person also mentioned that at least half of the devices they are testing in their facilities are companies having products of their competitors tested because if the device fails they have to stop selling it and possibly recall the sold devices. Afterwards you have to do a full compliance test which is (at least for devices with wireless connectivity) in the order of 50k€. So it’s an easy way to eliminate competition if companies don’t know exactly what they are doing.
How did you find and validate the consultant? I was brought into a project with a safety certification consultant (CSA 22.2 and EN60945), who I found was more an expensive middle-man than a source of useful information and strategic direction.
I searched online for companies who do the measurements required for the certifications (in my case in Germany) and asked them for a offer for the measurements and if they offer a consulting for the develoment process beforehand. The person who did the consulting was their corporate director for consulting and bussiness development and had a pretty impressive CV, so I think (and had the impression) he is rather competent on the topic. Yeah, and the company is internationally known in this field of work.
You have to find someone familiar with your product area. You seem to have been looking at maritime communications, very niche. I mainly do railway communications these days, a totally different niche.
Be suspicious of someone who can cover everything.
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