Compliance questions in actuator procurement usually go wrong in one of two directions. Either a buyer asks a component supplier for something no component supplier can provide — "is this actuator ISO 13849 PLd certified?" — or a buyer accepts a certificate at face value and assumes it covers their finished machine.

Both cost time. This article draws the line clearly: what a component supplier can legitimately document, what remains the machine builder's obligation, and exactly what to ask for.

Quick answer Ask suppliers for: IP rating (IEC 60529), motor standard, CE/UL documentation with the stated scope, temperature range, duty cycle definition, and reliability data for your load case. Do not ask for a machine-level performance level — that is yours to determine.

⚠️ Scope note, stated honestly: below we quote official scope text only for the three standards we were able to verify against their issuing bodies. Other standards are named for orientation only, without quoting clauses. Always confirm the applicable standard, edition and clauses for your market with your notified body or certification partner.

The Distinction That Settles Most Compliance Arguments

Two categories, and almost every dispute comes from mixing them:

A component supplier gives you inputs. The conformity assessment of the finished machine is a machine builder's task, and no supplier certificate discharges it.

Which Standards Apply to the Actuator Itself?

IEC 60529 — the enclosure rating

This is the clearest component-level standard. The IEC describes the IP code as grading "the resistance of an enclosure against the intrusion of dust or liquids", also rating "how easy it is for individuals to access the potentially hazardous parts", with the first digit covering solids 0–6 and the second liquids 0–9 (IEC).

Published IP classes across our industrial range: IP65 on the FY028, FY015 and FY015D; IP66 on the FY020, FY021D and FY021C; IP67 on the FY015C and FY011E.

Zone-by-zone selection guidance is in our warehouse IP rating guide.

UL 1004-1 — the motor inside

For North American markets, the relevant motor standard is UL 1004-1, whose scope 1.1 states it "applies to form wound rotating electrical machines rated less than 460 volts and all other rotating electrical machines and linear motors, both AC and DC, rated 1,000 volts or less" (UL Standards).

Since every actuator in our industrial series operates well under 1,000 V — published voltage options span 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 VDC — this scope covers the motor element.

Our published certifications: the FY020 spec table lists CE; the FY015 spec table lists CE, UL. For the standard series, the FY014 page lists RoHS, SAA, FC, IEC and C markings.

👉 Important qualification: a marking listed on a product page is a starting point, not a technical file. Always request the actual certificate and read its scope — which model variants, which voltages, which configurations it covers. A certificate for one variant does not automatically cover a customised stroke or a different voltage build.

CE marking and the component question

CE marking on a component and CE conformity of your machine are different exercises. Component documentation supports your technical file; it does not replace your conformity assessment. If a supplier implies their CE mark makes your machine compliant, that is a misunderstanding worth correcting early.

Which Standards Apply to Your Machine, Not the Component?

ISO 13849-1 — safety-related control functions

This is the most commonly misapplied standard in actuator procurement. Its official scope states that it "specifies a methodology and provides related requirements … for the design and integration of safety-related parts of control systems (SRP/CS) that perform safety functions", that it "applies to SRP/CS for high demand and continuous modes of operation", and that it "does not apply to low demand mode of operation" (ISO 13849-1:2023).

Read that carefully and the implication is clear: it addresses control systems that perform safety functions, designed and integrated at machine level. A performance level describes a safety function — "prevent uncontrolled descent of the lift platform" — not a part number.

What this means in practice for an actuator buyer:

Where this matters most in material handling: anything that can descend under gravity. A scissor lift table, a palletizing column carrying a robot, a fork lift mechanism. The risk assessment for uncontrolled descent belongs to the machine, and typically the answer involves independent mechanical means rather than relying on the drive alone. See scissor lift table sizing and cobot palletizer lifting columns.

Machine-category standards you will meet

Depending on the equipment and market, you are likely to encounter standards covering driverless industrial trucks (ISO 3691-4 in international practice; ANSI/ITSDF B56.5 in the United States) and electrical equipment of machines (EN/IEC 60204-1), alongside your market's machinery legislation.

We name these for orientation only. We have deliberately not quoted their scope text here because we could not verify the current wording directly from the issuing bodies at the time of writing — and paraphrasing a standard's requirements from memory is exactly how compliance errors propagate. Obtain the current edition and confirm applicability with your notified body or certification partner.

What Should You Actually Request From an Actuator Supplier?

Six requests that produce genuinely useful documentation:

1. IP rating with its basis. Which rating, and confirmation it applies to the configuration you are buying — not just to a base model.
2. Motor standard and voltage. Which standard the motor is built to, and confirmation your supply voltage is within its scope.
3. Certificates with scope stated. Not "we have CE" — the certificate, and which models and variants it covers.
4. Operating temperature range. Published for our range as −20°C to 65°C on the FY028, FY020 and FY015 spec tables, and −15°C to 45°C in the page specifications of several other models. Check it against your worst-case site conditions.
5. Duty cycle with its interval definition. "10%" alone is not specifiable. Ours is published as 10%, 2 min on / 18 min off. See duty cycle for 24/7 warehouse actuators.
6. Reliability or lifetime data for your load case. Very few suppliers in this segment publish it. Ask anyway — the quality of the answer tells you a lot about the supplier.

Red Flags in Supplier Compliance Claims

That last row deserves candour: reviewing our own site while preparing this cluster, we found several product pages where the headline figure and the body text disagree. We are correcting them, and in the meantime the authoritative figure for any order is the spec sheet we issue for your configuration — not a web page. We would give any supplier, including ourselves, the same advice: ask for the document, in writing, for the exact variant.

A Practical Documentation Checklist

□ IP rating certificate / declaration — model variant confirmed
□ Motor standard confirmed for supply voltage
□ CE documentation — scope read, variants confirmed
□ UL documentation (if North America) — scope read
□ RoHS / REACH declarations as required by market
□ Operating temperature range — matched to worst-case site conditions
□ Duty cycle — percentage AND on/off interval
□ Force / speed curve, not just headline force
□ Retracted length and stroke for the exact ordered configuration
□ Holding behaviour: mechanically self-locking or held under power?
□ Reliability / lifetime data for the specified load
□ Signed specification sheet for the ordered variant

The last line is the important one. Custom stroke is normal in this industry, which means the thing you buy is often not exactly the thing on the catalogue page. A signed spec sheet for your configuration resolves this.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an actuator be ISO 13849-1 certified on its own? 

No. The standard addresses safety-related parts of control systems designed and integrated at machine level. Suppliers provide data; you determine the performance level.

Does a CE-marked actuator make my machine CE compliant? 

No. Component documentation supports your technical file; the conformity assessment of the finished machine is yours.

What documentation should I request? 

IP rating with variant, motor standard, certificates with scope, temperature range, duty cycle with intervals, and reliability data.

Which standards apply to an AGV rather than its actuator? 

Driverless industrial truck standards and general machinery electrical requirements, at vehicle level. Confirm editions and clauses with your certification partner.

Do your actuators carry CE and UL? 

The FY020 spec table lists CE; the FY015 spec table lists CE and UL. Request the certificate and confirm the scope covers your configuration.

Is a higher IP rating a compliance requirement? 

Usually not in itself. IP is selected for the environment; compliance obligations come from the machinery legislation applicable to your finished equipment.

Request Our Compliance Documentation

Tell us your target market, machine type and required configuration, and we will send the applicable documentation — with the certificate scope stated clearly, so you know exactly what it does and does not cover.

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