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RESOURCES
Buying guides, compliance notes and case studies to choose, deploy and run professional robots in Europe.
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Robot Distribution publishes buying guides and compliance notes written by its editorial team.
Each guide shows its sources, the date of the last update and the robots it refers to.
Compliance notes are general information, not legal advice.
The regulation applies from 20 January 2027 and replaces Directive 2006/42/EC. What it asks of manufacturers, importers, resellers and operators, and what to check on a robot ordered this year.
7 min read · Updated
By Robot Distribution editorial team
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The regulation applies from 20 January 2027 and replaces Directive 2006/42/EC. What it asks of manufacturers, importers, resellers and operators, and what to check on a robot ordered this year.
UpdatedTray capacity, aisle width, lifts and doors, table numbering: the questions to settle before a first trial.
UpdatedSize the machine to the floor first, then compare what each acquisition mode includes: robot, commissioning, maintenance, software, consumables and replacement.
UpdatedCOMPLIANCE DOSSIER
IN BRIEF
The Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from 20 January 2027 and replaces Directive 2006/42/EC. A robot sold as complete machinery carries the CE marking and comes with an EU declaration of conformity. A robot that records images of people, or that uses AI functions, also falls under the GDPR and the AI Act.
Updated · General information, not legal advice.
Open the full guideAPPLIES FROM 20 JANUARY 2027
It applies from 20 January 2027 and replaces Directive 2006/42/EC. It updates the health and safety requirements that machinery, robots included, must meet before it is placed on the EU market.
EU DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
The manufacturer assesses the machine, signs the EU declaration of conformity and affixes the CE marking. Importers and distributors check that the marking and the documents are in place.
ISO 10218 · ISO/TS 15066 · ISO 3691-4
ISO 10218 covers industrial robots, ISO/TS 15066 collaborative operation and ISO 3691-4 driverless industrial trucks. Applying a standard is voluntary, but it is the usual way to show conformity.
PERSONAL DATA
A robot that films or maps a place where people can be identified processes personal data. The operator needs a legal basis, informs the people concerned and limits how long images are kept.
RISK-BASED RULES FOR AI SYSTEMS
The AI Act sets obligations according to the level of risk of an AI system and applies in stages. For a robot, the question is which functions rely on AI and what the manufacturer documents.
GLOSSARY
FAQ
The Robot Distribution editorial team writes the guides. Specifications come from the manufacturers' published sources, and regulatory notes cite the official texts on EUR-Lex.
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Each guide shows the date of its last update. Robot Distribution reviews a guide when a regulation, a standard or a robot it mentions changes.
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