UKCA / CE Information
General advice and information regarding UKCA / CE
This resource has some handy links we have found and used when going through the UKCA/ CE process.
It is important to understand 3D Filament Warehouse are not in any way linked to UKCA or the government. Nothing we advise on this page can be used as a certified guide. These are the things that I found helpful when I had to go through this process personally. This entire site and business has been created because, I had so much difficulty finding manufacturers and the information I needed for my own print farm. I decided there has to be a better way, so I started this site. Manufacturers either don't test for EN71-3 or have only tested a single colour (a fact I discovered only by researching their certificates, rather than trusting their communications with me) E-Sun for example states it is covered, but has only tested Milk white PLA, and nothing else is covered in their range. I created this page in the hope it will save you the immense amount of time I had to spend searching for information that I personally (as a human being and not a android) could understand. We are a small family from Devon in the UK, and we are working very hard to create this site, your support is very much appreciated. Hopefully we will help your business grow, and by association you will help ours. Please always support family run UK businesses whenever possible.
We have worked closely with LANDU innovations technology co, to produce a unique batch of filament for our store. This filament is specifically created to meet the UKCA specifications, and is EN71-3 compliant, it is specifically produced for our store and the formulas used differ from the global supply of their filaments. The filament has undergone independent testing and passed certification for all PLA contained in our EN71-3-approved category. EN71-3 Filament is essential if you are looking to obtain UKCA/ CE approval, and produce regulatory compliant products. We can supply documents to confirm certification once you have made a purchase if required. We can only apply this certificate with PLA purchased from this store, because the batches of filament that we have manufactured by Landu are created specifically to these standards at our request. For your protection, we also keep track of the formula used, any changes in future batches we will know about, and will send you the latest certificate with your purchase. This means you can never be caught out with an outdated certificate, and a filament that no longer meets the EN71-3 standards, due to factories cutting cost or changing raw materials.
This takes ongoing co-operation with the manufacturers and the labs involved which is why we can only provide certification for EN71-3 with batches of filament supplied by us.
A common error is to see UKCA printed on boxes of filament and assume this is covered. It is not, all it means is the filament has passed the standards in its current form (a roll of filament) which is not for example a child's toy. The moment you make a toy from the material a totally different set of standards apply. Its fairly confusing, but the important thing to remember is the filament must be EN71-3 Certified for each individual colour use. (Most Major suppliers just test a single colour and then give the impression everything is covered) this is utterly false. We have every colour tested individually.
Always remember to use a single Nozzle for your EN71-3 filament. Do not mix filaments which are not EN71-3 certified. Even trace elements from a prior used filament in your print will mean it fails a lab test, leaving you at risk. Remember EN71-3 = always use the same nozzle and don't contaminate it.
A fantastic resource to keep yourself up to date and discuss issues with people just like yourself. The community are fast to respond and give fantastic advice and the Admin of the page is skilled and knowledgeable. This is your number one place to go and follow on Facebook.
A great place for the best information and guides skilfully made by its creators. It has a specific guide for 3d printing community to take you right through the process.
This is the fastest and easiest route to get your UKCA certification by far. The owners have gone to great lengths to trawl through all the infinite dry and hard to understand government guidance, and managed to produce things that human beings can fairly easily get through. They provide everything you need from forms, to certification templates in a highly finished format.
They are understandably a paid resource as they have to cover the time they have put into the guides and they stay on top of anything new the government does translating it into something we mear mortals can understand.
If you want the very best, these are the people you need.
A useful resource for your CE and EN71-1 testing requirements which is fairly straight forward to follow. You do still need to research what certain items are within the tests and look around for this data. But for a free resource this is pretty exceptional and goes through all the steps you need. It does not delve into UKCA marking however, but the test you need to perform are the same as the UK really, adapting the EU CE test.
The government's own resource on this matter. If you are an android from the future (I say a min of 100 years) this is fantastic. For the rest of humans, quantum physics is easier to master.
In all seriousness it is worth spending a hour or two looking through it all to get a better general understanding, Perhaps you can make more sense of it than I did, then use other guides to drill into the way you physically do the testing.
We also sell STL for your small part/choke tube tester. We investigated the dimensions and cad designed this item to sub mm tolerances. This is far better than the paper versions that can bend and flex and affect the results and you will then have this useful tool forever for all your new products.
​For some idea of what your finished certificate will look like click here. This is our finished certificate for one of our items. It is used for hard toys that do not fall into the mechanical or small item category. Do not copy this as each type of toy requires different tests. It's just for you to see a finished example.