Questions and answers
Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 – what you need to know
The new Machinery Regulation applies from 20 January 2027. Here are answers to common questions about documentation and instructions.
What is the EU’s new Machinery Regulation?
Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 replaces Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. As a regulation, it applies directly and uniformly in all EU countries, without first being transposed into national law.
When does the Machinery Regulation apply?
Most of the regulation applies from 20 January 2027. Machines placed on the market from that date must meet the new requirements.
Who is affected?
Manufacturers, importers and distributors of machinery, partly completed machinery and related products such as safety components, lifting accessories and removable mechanical transmission devices.
Can instructions be digital?
Yes. Instructions may be provided in digital format. If the purchaser requests it at the time of purchase, a paper copy must still be provided free of charge. The digital version must be downloadable and printable.
How long must digital documentation remain available?
Digital instructions must remain available for the expected lifetime of the machine and for at least ten years after it is placed on the market.
Do digital instructions also apply to consumers?
Where machinery is intended for, or may reasonably be used by, non-professional users, the safety information essential for safe use must always be supplied on paper.
What language must the documentation use?
Instructions must be in a language easily understood by users in the country where the machine is made available. This often means keeping the same content up to date in several languages.
What has changed compared with the Machinery Directive?
Changes include clearer requirements for protection against cyberattacks that could affect safety, autonomous behaviour and machine-learning-based safety functions, substantial modifications to machinery, and third-party assessment for certain high-risk machines.
Can the EU declaration of conformity be digital?
Yes. The EU declaration of conformity may be provided digitally, for example through a link or QR code supplied with the machine.
How can NXT help?
With NXT Docs, you can produce, version-control and deliver machinery documentation digitally – for example through a QR code on the machine and in the languages you need. NXT Lexicon keeps terminology consistent across languages.