CE marking is not a sticker. It is a legal declaration that a machine meets the essential health and safety requirements of the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU, and the EMC Directive 2014/30/EU. When a carton erecting machine carries the CE mark without a Declaration of Conformity behind it, you have a sticker. When it carries the mark with a DoC, a technical file, and risk assessments signed off by an engineering team, you have a machine you can install in Frankfurt, Lyon, or Warsaw without a customs surprise.

ZRAY erecting machines ship with CE and EAC certification as standard, and this article explains exactly what the certification covers, what documentation you receive, and how it is verified on your floor before shipping.

What CE Certification Actually Covers on an Erector

The Machinery Directive applies to the whole machine as installed. On a ZRAY erector these are the concrete items assessed:

• Electrical safety. Cabinet to IEC 60204-1: proper earthing, IP-rated enclosure, emergency stop circuit (category 0 or 1), door interlocks with power cutoff, cable routing that survives vibration.
• Pneumatic safety. Pressure relief, hose ratings above 0.7 MPa supply, exhaust silencers, safe bleed-down on the holding valves, guards over the forming head stroke.
• Mechanical guarding. Fixed and interlocked guards around the magazine pick area, the mandrel, and the sealing station. Interlocked guards stop the machine before a hand can reach the fold zone — tested at commissioning.
• Noise and vibration. CE requires the machine to meet declared noise values. A ZRAY erector declares ≤80 dB(A) at operator position on single-wall board.
• Risk assessment. A documented RA covering every task — operation, changeover, jam clearing, maintenance — with residual risks listed in the manual.

The Declaration of Conformity names the directives and the harmonized standards applied, e.g. EN ISO 12100 (risk assessment), EN 60204-1 (electrical), EN ISO 13850 (emergency stop). You receive the signed DoC with the machine. That document is what customs and your insurance both look at.

EAC: The Russia/CIS Track

For Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the wider CIS, the CE mark is not enough. Customs in the EAEU requires the EAC mark and EAC Declaration under Technical Regulation TR CU 010/2011. ZRAY machines carry both:

• EAC Declaration covering the erector as machinery under TR CU 010/2011.
• CIS documentation package prepared by ZRAY’s logistics channel for Russia/CIS, which handles both the certification paperwork and the customs clearance routing.

This is why a ZRAY machine lands in Moscow without the clearance delays that stall uncertified imports. The certification is not an add-on ordered after the fact; it is part of the standard build, and the EAC documents are shipped with the machine.

What You Receive in the Documentation Pack

Every certified ZRAY erector ships with a file folder that survives a real customs audit:

Verification Before Shipping: FAT with Your Blanks

Certification is paperwork; proving the machine runs your box is a different exercise. Every ZRAY machine goes through a Factory Acceptance Test before shipment:

1. You send your actual box blanks (or we use the approved reference board spec).
2. The machine runs a full production simulation — pick, form, seal, eject — at the agreed CPM.
3. We measure box quality: squareness at 90° ± 0.5°, seal strength, flap alignment.
4. You can watch live via remote video witnessing and approve the run.
5. The FAT report with photos and measured data is included in the shipping documentation.

The payment schedule is built around this: 50% advance deposit, 40% after FAT acceptance, 10% warranty balance. The 40% stage releases only after you accept the FAT. That is the practical way a certification claim gets tested.

Certified Machine Reference Data

Board compatibility matters for certification too, because the safety assessment depends on what the machine is declared to process: single wall E/B/C flute (1.5–4.0 mm, 200–500 gsm) and double wall BC/EB (4.5–7.0 mm, 350–650 gsm). The declared range is what the risk assessment and the CE technical file are built on. Running out-of-range board is where certification claims start to break down.

PLC Safety Alarms on a Certified Machine

Certification adds safety wiring, which adds a few alarms you will see in daily operation:

Alarm: Safety Guard Open

1. Close the interlocked guard and verify the interlock switch clicks.
2. Check the door position sensor alignment — vibration shifts it over months.
3. On the HMI, reset the safety circuit; the machine will not re-run until the guard is confirmed closed.

Alarm: Emergency Stop Pressed

1. Twist-release the e-stop on the HMI panel and any remote e-stop buttons.
2. Confirm the e-stop circuit test record; CE machines log these in the PLC.
3. Restart per the manual sequence — never bypass the reset with a jumper.

Alarm: Air Pressure Low

1. Check the inlet pressure at the machine: 0.5–0.7 MPa.
2. Inspect the FRL filter; a clogged element starves the safety valves.
3. Verify the pressure switch set point matches the declared value.

Each of these alarms is interlocked per the CE safety circuit, so the fix is always a reset plus a check, never a bypass.

Maintenance That Keeps the Certification Valid

CE compliance is not a one-time state; it is maintained by the machine staying as built and as guarded:

A machine that has had its guards removed for “easier access” is no longer the machine that was certified. Keep the guarding and the certification argument stays intact — including for the insurance inspector.

Why This Matters on Your Floor

The practical differences of a CE/EAC certified machine show up in three places: customs clearance (documents reviewed, not argued), insurance (a certified machine is insurable as built), and liability (a documented residual risk list protects both you and your workers). None of that is visible in the brochure, and all of it is real money.

Our full certified range starts with the Single-Piece Case Erector, the machine to spec for EU and CIS installations processing single-wall and double-wall RSC. When output above 25 CPM is required, the Double-Head High-Speed Case Former delivers up to 40 CPM per head with the same certification package.

Verdict

CE marking means the machine meets EU machinery, low-voltage, and EMC directives, backed by a signed Declaration of Conformity and a technical file. EAC means the same for the EAEU customs union. ZRAY ships both as standard, proves the machine on your blanks at FAT with remote witnessing, and supports the installation with a 12-month warranty and remote diagnostics. Certification is not the afterthought of the machine; it is part of the design from the first drawing.

Need certification documents reviewed against your import requirements? Tell us your destination country and your box spec. ZRAY replies within 24 working hours with the certification package summary and, if you are in the CIS, the EAC clearance routing.

• Email: [email protected]
• WhatsApp: +86 13681839278
• Inquiry page: Contact ZRAY about CE/EAC Certification