Pre-Certified Components

Pre-Certified Components are parts that have already been tested and approved to specific standards by their original manufacturer. For North American machinery builders, utilizing these components—such as power supplies, safety relays, or motors—is a standard strategy to streamline the overall compliance process. In the US, using UL-listed parts is often the primary hurdle; however, the European approach is more nuanced.

While using pre-certified parts significantly reduces the testing burden, it does not automatically guarantee that the final machine is compliant. The Machinery Directive requires you to assess the complete assembly. A "CE marked" motor connected incorrectly can still fail EMC Testing or create thermal hazards. Therefore, simply assembling compliant parts does not exempt you from performing System-Level Testing to verify the final integration.

You must collect Supplier Declarations for these items to include in your Technical File. This documentation proves that the individual building blocks meet relevant directives (like RoHS or the Low Voltage Directive (LVD)), creating a chain of evidence that supports your final Declaration of Conformity (DoC).