What the Machinery Regulation allows
Under the previous Machinery Directive, instructions generally had to be supplied on paper. The Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 now explicitly allows instructions and information to be provided in digital format – with some conditions and exceptions.
The conditions in detail
- State the access: the machine – or, where that is not possible, an accompanying document – must indicate how the digital instructions can be accessed.
- Download and print: instructions must be in a format that can be saved on a device and printed.
- Permanently available: accessible online for the expected lifetime of the machine, but at least 10 years after placing on the market.
- Paper on request: if the purchaser asks for a paper version at the time of purchase, it must be provided free of charge – within one month.
- Consumer exception: if the machine is intended for non-professional users, the safety information essential for safe commissioning and use must be supplied on paper.
Unchanged: instructions must be in the language of the country of use. The EU declaration of conformity can also be provided via an internet address stated in the instructions.
Typical mistakes with digital instructions
- A PDF on the website: after the next relaunch, links and files are gone – the 10-year obligation is breached.
- No version mapping: the customer finds the current manual, not the one for their 2027 machine.
- QR code to a home page: users have to search instead of landing directly at their machine.
- English only online: language versions are missing or out of sync.
- No process for paper on request.
How to implement it in practice
- A fixed address per machine: a QR code on the rating plate leads via serial number directly to the matching documentation.
- Immutable versions: every revision shipped stays accessible; updates are added as new versions.
- Printable version from the same source: HTML for use at the machine, PDF for saving and printing.
- All languages in sync: translated modules are reused so every language version has the same state.
- Secure operation: hosting, backups and availability for at least 10 years – independent of website relaunches.
Digital instructions with proquodo
With proquodo, instructions are generated from your engineering data and published per machine together with BOM, 3D model and documents in the proquodo parts online catalog. Every product version is immutable, every machine sees exactly its revision – and the same source produces the printable PDF.
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