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Safe Electrical Practices Ensure Smooth Machine Operation

Packaging machinery, electrical components, and control systems have their own distinct standards that can be critical for machine safety and beneficial for sales.

Following electrical standards in machine development can mitigate damage to property and harm to workers in operation.
Following electrical standards in machine development can mitigate damage to property and harm to workers in operation.
PMMI Business Intelligence: 2023 The Impact of Global and Local Standards on OEMs & Suppliers

Careless design of packaging machinery electrical components can make for shocking disruption to operations. Luckily, safe electrical practices and standards take the guesswork out of the design process.

In the E.U., two major electrical directives are likely to affect packaging machinery, says PMMI Business Intelligence’s 2023 report “The Impact of Global and Local Standards on OEMs and Suppliers.” They are the Low Voltage Directive and the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive.

Standards to follow for safe electrical practices

New and second-hand equipment with an electrical supply within the scope of the Low Voltage Directive must follow its requirements to prevent harm from mechanical, thermal, and electrical hazards. 

However, the more detailed essential requirements in the broader E.U. Machinery Directive, which applies to most packaging machinery, supersede those in the Low Voltage Directive when applicable.

As with the Machinery Directive, compliance documentation is required for the Low Voltage Directive, according to PMMI’s 2007 Guide to the Key European Directives for Packaging Machinery – Fourth Edition.

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