CE Wiring

[Killen]

I am banging my head against the wall trying to find someone in my area that would be interested in making some money wiring up lamps in the European Standard - CE Certified. I have spoke to several labs and they will simply not give me the name of someone they have certified. They want us to go through the certification process and wiring lamps is simply not our business.If you could help me find someone, if you could it would be most appreciated.

Thank you,

Jason

 

[ozmosis]

Agree with Scotty.
CE marking indicates that you meet the specific standards that apply to that specific product and therefore you can export into the countries under the CE banner. Teddy bears sold into Europe need to carry the "CE" mark. It means they comply with the Toy Directive.
Lamps will fall under the LV Directive and all the standards relating to that directive. It depends what your lamp is going to do. If your lamp includes a SMPS or dimmer switch, as an example, then it will also need to comply with the EMC Directive. If your lamp is designed for underwater use or outside use then there will be standards that specify Ingress Protection (IP) etc.
If your lamp is a table lamp then also remember that in EU there are numerous plug types that determine the country. IN the UK you will require fuses in your plugs..etc.
Maybe contact this lot:

http://www.elcfed.org/

no idea if they can help but mr.google brought them up first.

 

[Killen]

Ozmosis: You seem to be very knowledgable about this subject. Would you happen to have any leads on where I can send some lamps to be wired for export, someone that has the means of wiring and tagging our products according to standards? My goal is to find someone in this region (Dallas, TX). Your feedback is most appreciated!

 

[VEBill]

OP started thread with "...banging my head against the wall...".

 

[VEBill]

A minute or two with Google leads to this:

ACC Global Compliance - Dallas, TX

Company Profile: CE marking service for machines exported to Europe, in compliance with safety requirements established by the European Union. Services include on site electrical, EMC & EMI testing, on site technical & engineering assistance, documentation review & verification, design review, & CE type...

Good luck.

 

[eng1ne]

Be prepared to have to deal with more than just the wiring! Follow VE1BLL's lead; there is little more we can help you with!

 

[Killen]

VE1BLL: I tried ACC Global Compliance (deals with certifying machines) and they did not have any information for me. The guy I spoke with said surely there is someone in the region and suggested me do a lot of things that I have already done.
I did get in touch with a lamp repair company in Austin and sent them over some links to see if they are interested in getting the certification, so we can send them lamps to get ready for export. She seemed very interested and said she has a repair lady that has worked on European lighting with 6 years of experience. Slowly, but surely, I think I am getting somewhere. The hidden trade it seems...

 

[MacGyverS2000]

I did get in touch with a lamp repair company in Austin and sent them over some links to see if they are interested in getting the certification...

If companies are self-certified when it comes to CE, what exactly do you think they're going to do?

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[Killen]

This link will best explain how to get the certification. It is the best website that I found that explains how to get to get certified or self-certify.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_mark

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Kind of defeats the purpose to "certify" a company if you're allowed to self-certify.

Self-certification must mean something different in my part of the world...

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[Killen]

I know - the whole deal is odd to me as well, but it is what it is I guess. It seems that what you do is self-certify by creating a 1 page Declaration of Conformity, showing how the requirements are being meet. It would be the option of the person doing the certifying to have a third party lab test the product if they feel necessary. If a third party lab tests the product - they put together a technical file to hold on the CE Marker's behalf incase anything stems from a defective product. The CE Marker will be the responsible party, but they will have proof to back up what they were doing was to the best of their knowledge - the correct way to do it. That link I showed you should help make sense of it for you if decide you are interested in finding out more information on this subject. I know it is odd, but I guess that is the way Europeans would like to do things. For what I understand based on what I have read on the subject - implementing this process has been a big help over there.

 

[eng1ne]

"It would be the option of the person doing the certifying to have a third party lab test the product if they feel necessary." - some tests aren't optional!

What do you now plan to do?

 

[Killen]

I have a company in Austin that seems interested in taking this on. She has a lady that has wired chandeliers for export to Europe and this something they seem to want to dabble in. I found another guy in Austin that speaks with a European accent that is also interested in looking into doing this for us. He owns a lamp business in Austin. I do feel like I am finally getting somewhere on this.

 

[eng1ne]

Let us know how you get on!

 

[Killen]

Will do - thank you for your assistance with this mess. Have a great rest of the day!

 

[benta]

For putting products on the market in Europe, don't forget RoHS, that's just as important as CE (though easier to certify).

Benta.

 

[Killen]

What is RoHS?

 

[MacGyverS2000]

What is RoHS?

<chuckle> You're in for a shock


Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[eng1ne]

^^ What he said... Twice!

 

[Killen]

RoHS talks about hazardous substances within the electrical equipment. I feel as long as we are not senting the items with bulbs in them - we won't need to worry about RoHS. The components of lamps are pretty basic and only hazardous if wired incorrectly.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Are you soldering any connections? If so, your solder has to be lead-free. Does any portion of the lamp (wire, metal base, wood trim) contain any substances on the banned list? If so, you need to change the design. Think it doesn't? Think again. What happens if you use leather as a lamp wrap? If that leather used cyanide as a bleaching agent, you could run into problems should that ever leach out... has zero to do with the electrical work, but your product has failed RoHS and will be illegal to sell in European countries.

RoHS is a royal PITA, and it typically fails to solve the main problem it was touted to resolve... but it's still the law.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com