The EU committee issued directives in order to unify laws and ordinances of EU countries before formation of the European Union. The EU Directives for product safety unified product safety regulations, which vary in each country and can obstruct free distribution of products.
The following three directives; Machinery Directive, EMC Directive, and Low-voltage Directive, deal with general machines and electrical appliances.
The Machinery Directive deals with the safety of 2 types of equipment. One is equipment (machines) which are energized by sources such as electricity, batteries, fuel, spring, or weight and which includes at least one moving part. The other is equipment (safety components) which provide machine safety and which are marketed singly. |
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The EMC Directive concerns the safety of equipment which may jam signals by generating electromagnetic noise, or which may malfunction due to extraneous noise (such as static electricity or electromagnetic field).
EMC (Electro-Magnetic Compatibility):
2 conditions must be satisfied: Does not generate electromagnetic noise and does not malfunction due to extraneous noise.
EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference):
Does not generate electromagnetic noise.
EMS (Electro-Magnetic Susceptibility):
Does not malfunction due to extraneous noise.
The Low-voltage Directive applies to the electrical safety of equipment which is designed for use with a voltage rating of between 50 to 1000 VAC or between 75 to 1500 VDC.
* Voltage rating means the input and/or output voltage of equipment.
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