Marking time

Placed on several categories of products, CE marking dominates EU product conformity as it is mandatory for machinery, electrical and electronic equipment, medical devices, personal protective equipment and toys. To support CE marking, EMC testing is recommended and normally required. Typically testing is conducted at a specialist lab at the end of the project.
However, EMC testing is much more than just a box-ticking exercise. Failure can be particularly common in complex projects using high-frequency and high-speed components. Many projects trip up at this last hurdle, as many as 50% by some estimates, with radiated emissions often being the main reason.
From the IT industry, we hear a lot today about smarter, ‘agile’ development, in which software is developed rapidly with testing conducted throughout a project, and elements of this thinking can pay dividends in EMC compliance. EMC testing that is built-in during the early stages of a product development lifecycle can reduce the risk of product failure, make savings to the bottom line over the course of a project, and ensure a speedier path to CE mark compliance. For anyone planning to sell electronics product into the EU, here’s a quick round up of interesting facts about CE marking:
1 CE marking is a self-declaration where a manufacturer proves compliance with EU health, safety and environmental protection legislation and confirms products compliance with relevant requirements.
2 CE stands for Conformité Européenne (French) which means European conformity
3 With a CE mark, your product can be sold in the EU and in some other countries, including Turkey
4 CE directives affect manufacturers, importers and distributors/retailers, though a manufacturer is responsible for acquiring the CE mark
5 There are six steps to CE marking:
identify the relevant directives and standards,
verify the product’s specific requirements,
identify whether an independent conformity assessment is necessary,
test product,
draw up technical documentation,
add CE marking to the product
6 CE marking is not evidence of compliance – your technical documentation/technical file is
7 A Declaration of Conformity is a legal claim that products comply with applicable Directives and standards, though it is not evidence of compliance.
8 They are a number of CE Marking Directives including Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) and Low Voltage (LV)
9 Common testing for compliance include tests for radiated emissions, conducted emissions and telecommunications port emissions
10 CE marking has nothing to do with product quality
11 CE marking is mandatory for those products it applies to
12 Ofcom, the Trading Standards Institute and the National Measurement Office (in the UK) are able to enforce CE marking, ban a product from sale, and instigate fines for non-compliance
13 Unsafe products are shared in the EU via RAPEX - a rapid alert system on measures taken to prevent or restrict the marketing or use of products posing a serious risk to the health and safety of consumers 
14 There is a very similar logo where the CE stands for Chinese Export or China Export – this has nothing to do with European conformity
15 The size of the CE mark must be at least 5mm high
16 If the appearance and workmanship of a product do not allow for the CE marking to be affixed on the product itself, the marking has to be affixed to its packaging or accompanying documents
17 Earlier this year the European Commission released the latest listing titles and references for the harmonised standards used to demonstrate conformity with the current EU EMC Directive 2004/108/EC
18 New R&TTE requirements started on 1 January 2015
19 EMC and R&TTE testing is usually done at the end of product development
20 Early EMC and R&TTE testing can reduce product development cost and reduce time to market

ByteSnap Design recently expanded its electronics design capabilities by investing in a testing chamber, and launching an early EMC testing service. As one of the few electronics design consultancies to have a chamber, ByteSnap Design’s EMC testing service enables it to identify and fix any issues prior to external testing – so de-risking a project and resulting in significant cost and time savings over a project lifetime.