On 20 January 2027 a new set of rules replaces the previous Machinery Directive and then applies directly throughout the EU. For machine manufacturers and operators, more changes than just the name, especially on the subject of noise. This article puts the most important changes into context and shows the concrete need for action.<\/p>\n
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The EU Machinery Regulation 2023\/1230 is the new European set of rules for the safety of machinery and replaces the previous Machinery Directive on 20 January 2027. For noise control this is more than a formality, because the regulation requires a reduction of noise emission at the source and clear information on the noise values of a machine. At sta Group we have been developing and manufacturing soundproofing solutions for machines and systems since 1986, with which manufacturers and operators meet these requirements. This article explains what is changing and what matters when it comes to noise.<\/p>\n
The EU Machinery Regulation 2023\/1230 is Regulation (EU) 2023\/1230 on machinery, which completely replaces Machinery Directive 2006\/42\/EC. It was adopted in 2023 and responds to technical developments such as connectivity, software and artificial intelligence, which were not yet reflected in the old law.\u00a0At its core, however, the aim remains the same, namely to allow only safe machines onto the European market.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n In everyday usage, many terms circulate for the same set of rules. Common ones are new machinery regulation, new EU machinery regulation and machinery regulation EU, as well as the short forms machinery regulation 2027 or machinery regulation new. In search queries the spellings EU machinery regulation 2023 1230 and machinery regulation 2023 1230 without a slash also appear.<\/p>\n The most important formal difference lies in the legal form. A directive must first be transposed into national law by each member state, in Germany this happened within the framework of product safety law.\u00a0A regulation, by contrast, applies directly and uniformly in all member states<\/strong><\/strong>, without a national transposition step.<\/p>\n For companies this means more clarity and fewer deviations between countries. At the same time, the familiar national intermediate step is eliminated, which is why all parties involved orient themselves directly on the European text.<\/p>\n The scope covers machinery and, for the first time, explicitly also related products such as safety components, lifting accessories or removable cardan shafts. Some clarifications delimit the area of application more sharply, for example for certain vehicles intended purely for the transport of persons or goods.<\/p>\n The regulation thus covers practically the entire spectrum of industrial production machines that is relevant to noise control.<\/p>\n The new machinery regulation applies on a mandatory basis from 20 January 2027. Until 19 January 2027, only Machinery Directive 2006\/42\/EC is to be applied, and from the cut-off date only the regulation.\u00a0There is no transitional phase in which manufacturers can freely choose between the two sets of rules.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n Individual provisions on market surveillance and on notified bodies have already applied since the beginning of 2024. The cut-off date decisive for practice, however, remains 20 January 2027.<\/p>\n Even if 2027 sounds far off, development cycles in mechanical engineering are long. Anyone who designs a machine that is placed on the market after the cut-off date must already today design it according to the new requirements.<\/p>\n Constructional noise reduction in particular is difficult to add afterwards.\u00a0Anyone who plans noise control early avoids expensive changes shortly before market launch.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n Besides the legal form, the regulation brings several substantive changes. The essential health and safety requirements are now found in Annex III instead of, as before, in Annex I. Newly regulated are, among other things, digital risks, the role of software and the handling of self-learning behaviour.<\/p>\n An important change concerns the substantial modification of a machine. Anyone who substantially modifies a machine is in future regarded as a manufacturer themselves and must carry out a new conformity assessment. For particularly critical machine categories, an independent inspection body must also be involved more frequently.<\/p>\n The circle of responsible parties has also been expanded. Besides manufacturers and authorised representatives, the regulation now explicitly also places importers and distributors under obligation. Anyone who brings machines onto the European market or distributes them therefore bears more clearly defined tasks than before.<\/p>\n The following overview summarises the central differences:<\/p>\n For noise control the central logic is retained<\/strong><\/strong>, but the requirements are carried forward in the new Annex III and in part made more precise.<\/p>\n Noise is one of the hazards that a machine must take into account under Annex III. The regulation requires that machines be designed and built so that risks from airborne noise emission are reduced as far as possible. Decisive here are technical progress and the means available for noise reduction.\u00a0Priority always goes to reduction directly at the source.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n This means that constructional measures take priority over downstream solutions. A machine should operate as quietly as possible before additional protective measures are added.<\/p>\n The range extends from damped bearings via vibration-decoupled components to capsules and claddings that hold the sound back at the point of origin. The earlier these means are planned in, the more effective and economical they are.<\/p>\n This is exactly where our work begins. We develop solutions that can be integrated into the design of a machine and noticeably reduce the radiated sound.<\/p>\n Besides the reduction, the regulation requires clear information on noise emission in the instruction manual. These values create comparability between machines and form the basis for the later risk assessment at the operator’s premises.\u00a0The disclosure obligation is graduated according to the level of the noise.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n The A-weighted emission sound pressure level at the workstations must be stated. If this is at most 70 dB(A), exactly that is to be stated. If the emission sound pressure level exceeds 80 dB(A), the sound power level of the machine must additionally be named. If high short-term peaks occur, the C-weighted peak sound pressure level is to be stated as soon as it corresponds to 63 Pa, i.e. 130 dB.<\/p>\nRegulation Instead of Directive<\/h3>\n
Machinery and Related Products within the Scope<\/h3>\n
From When Does the New Machinery Regulation Apply?<\/h2>\n
Why Manufacturers Should Act Now<\/h3>\n
What Changes Compared to Machinery Directive 2006\/42\/EC?<\/h2>\n
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\n Aspect<\/th>\n Machinery Directive 2006\/42\/EC<\/th>\n EU Machinery Regulation 2023\/1230<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n \n Legal form<\/td>\n Directive with national transposition<\/td>\n Regulation, directly applicable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Essential requirements<\/td>\n Annex I<\/td>\n Annex III<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Instruction manual<\/td>\n printed<\/td>\n digital permitted, printed on request<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Substantial modification<\/td>\n not clearly defined<\/td>\n defined, modifier becomes the manufacturer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Noise Emission and Noise Reduction as an Essential Requirement<\/h2>\n
Noise Reduction at the Source as a Design Principle<\/h3>\n
Which Noise Information Does the Machinery Regulation Require?<\/h2>\n