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Did You Remember Your Technical File Before CE Marking Your Products??An important step to help in the process to CE Mark your product is to have a
properly completed technical file, among other issues, before you place the CE
Mark on your product and ship it into Europe.
To CE Mark a product to any of the following product related EU
Directives all require a Technical File:
The technical file is used to prove conformity to the
essential requirements of the directive or directives that apply to the product
in question. It also needs to
define the product and the product’s manufacture. The technical file can be an index or a reference list as it would be hard to maintain all the documentation for a technical file in location of a company without extra paper handling (duplicate copies, etc.). The file can be set-up in groups or families based on product similarities. The layout of the technical file is at the manufacturer’s discretion. An important issue is to be able to proceduralize the technical file so when updates to products occur the technical file is updated to reflect these changes and the history of the product/file is maintained. The technical file’s access should be a controlled and kept up-to-date as discussed above. If your product also requires a Quality System as part of the CE Marking process then the technical file needs to be available during the audits conducted by the Notified Body that audits your company. The time period for how long the documents must be maintained after the last product is made varies between the Directives. Like other important documentation that is required to be
able to CE Mark a product the manufacture has the responsibility to be able to
get the technical file to the Competent Authority in Europe if they require this
information. Typically a Competent
Authority may request the technical file if an incident has been reported that
the product failed, compromised safety or the health of the user, patient, etc. If you have questions about technical files, CE Mark, or
product safety issues please contact Leo@EisnerSafety.com
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