Importing a DC motor to UK that is less than 50VDC

S

sakatoony

Hi
Need a quick response please from forum experts.

I am importing some BLDC motors from China to UK. They have been tested and test data is available by the manufacturer. However i am not sure what else the manufacturer needs to supply (documentation, certification) to make the product compliant. Hope i have made sense.
Before i ask the manufacturer i need to know what paperwork i should ask them to supply.
Motor is to be used as part of an electromechanical assembly, runs on 24Volts.

Added info. Requirement spec was provided from uk and it was custom made in china. don't know if it means anything but thought i'd add it anyway

Thanks
 
Last edited by a moderator:
S

sakatoony

The manufacturer does have iso9001 compliance certificate. does thismean all their manufacturing processes comply with EU standards?
 
S

sakatoony

Thank you for your reply.
Its a motor so comes under Machinery (correct me if i'm wrong).
But EMC, LVD directive doesn't apply to it (less than 75Volts DC).
Is conformity assessment is needed?

The main problem for me is having to categorise this motor.
2nd point which i mentioned. The manufacturer conforms to ISO 9001. does that mean all products coming out of the factory comply with CE?

If so what documents should normally accompany this motor (construction file, CE certificate, etc etc????) Thanks
 

Ronen E

Problem Solver
Moderator
S

sakatoony

Thanks for the directive Ronen
Quick glance and things are a bit clearer now.
The motor can be classed as a component as it cannot serve any purpose on its own. So no CE certification is necessary. The manufacturer was adamant this was the case it it may well be true. However manufacturer needs to prove compliance with ROHS otherwise i have heard horrible stories of customs impounting stuff uk-bound from China that simply gets destroyed.

Not necessarily.
.
Why do you say that. Wouldnt it mean that they no longer comply with Iso 9001? I donot see why a manufacturer would risk that. Also dont these certifications need to be audited or reviewed periodically?

Thanks
 

Ronen E

Problem Solver
Moderator
Hi,

I understand that you probably don't have the resources to overnight become an expert on all EC & UK regulatory and/or customs requirements, but on the other hand it's not a simple matter. The right way to go is to search for and review all applicable legislative instruments (a pain, I know) and make sure you comply with them all to the letter, or at least to a very good extent. Of course, it helps if one is already knowledgeable in the subject field. I'm not an expert on general use DC motors; I come from the medical devices field, with a basic good understanding of CE marking principles in general. The machinery directive was just an illustration; I didn't search for other applicable instruments so I can't tell you whether or not you should pay attention to any other such instrument. Please note that I gladly volunteer my time here; in the "real" world, when I take on a job such as this I can properly study all relevant details and the legislation, and come out with a responsible answer, "do this and that and you'll be fine".

In general you could go in 2 ways: The first is what I described so far. The second is relying on your supplier's word and sporadic info you can get from other people in the field, and seeing how you go through customs. Then you could sort out the missing pieces (if any) with your supplier.

Regarding ISO 9001 -

There may be more to meeting the EC regulation than compliance with ISO 9001. Your supplier may have valid certificates (yes, they're up for periodic audit and renewal) and be in actual full compliance, and yet miss on some other requirement(s).

Cheers,
Ronen.
 
S

sakatoony

I appreciate your input on this Ronen and Thank you for that.

I have basic understanding of engingineering principles but don't know much about regulation compliance thats why i came here :D

To search for every legislation and check for compliance i donot think someone with my knowledge can safely do that, compounded by the fact that the wording in these legislations can be vague at best of times.

What i do know is that this motor is unlikely to present higher level of danger in its operation mode due motors size and capacity so a lot of the regs are not applicable (eg BSEN, 294, 349,418,574, etc etc).
It wont be operating at dangerous temperatures either so now.
Probably beginning to sound like a broken record but as the operating volts doesn't reach 75Volts DC none of the EMC directives apply.
These factor are inclining me to believe what the manufacturer is telling me.

What does worry me that there is a website i came across that lists all of the chinese products that were picked up by border customs that didn't meet safety requirements. All items that cannot be proven safe and worthy of consumer utilisation gets destroyed.

I plan to import a good few hundred of these and cannot afford such risks. but if one was to end up in a situation like that how could they prove compliance to Regs and legislation. will they take my word like i said above that none of these regs apply? will i need to prove its ROHS compliant?

Thanks
 
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