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ATEX planning
ATEX filling machine requirements: what to prepare before asking for a quote.
What to prepare for an ATEX filling machine discussion, including product data, site zoning, container format and line controls.
- Buyer guidance for chemical filling projects
- Product, container, closure and output considered together
- UK machinery advice from Lancing Ltd
40+ yearsmachinery experience
UK supportspecification, installation and aftercare
Chemical focuscompatibility and pack handling
Line integrationfilling, capping, labelling and conveyors
Buyer guide
Use this guide before requesting a quote.
This page is written for manufacturers comparing chemical filling machinery. It focuses on the commercial details that normally decide the specification: product behaviour, container format, closure type, target output, changeover and whether the machine is part of a wider line.
The right equipment can be simple, but the enquiry should still give enough detail for compatibility, accuracy, handling and future growth to be reviewed properly.
Key checks
- Confirm the liquid, flash point and SDS before discussing machinery.
- Review site zoning and whether filling, capping or conveyors sit in a hazardous area.
- Consider vapour, earthing, controls and container movement as part of the whole line.
- Treat ATEX as a project discussion, not just a filler option.
Specification details
Questions that narrow the machine choice
The best answers are usually found by working through product, pack and output in that order.
Pack
What are the container dimensions, neck finish, fill volume range, closure and label position?
Output
How many containers per hour are required and how often does the line change product or pack size?
Scope
Is the requirement filling only, or filling with capping, labelling, coding, conveyors and guarding?
Example machinery
Routes often discussed on chemical projects
These examples show the kind of equipment areas that may need reviewing.
ATEX Filling Machine Requirements UK
What to prepare for an ATEX filling machine discussion, including product data, site zoning, container format and line controls.
Ask for advice
Filling, capping and labelling
Many projects need the filler specified alongside caps, labels, conveyors and operator access.
View line options
Capping and cap handling
Closure style, torque, trigger orientation and cap feeding can decide whether a line runs smoothly.
View cappingFAQ
ATEX Filling Machine Requirements UK questions
What information should be prepared before asking for advice?
Prepare product data, SDS where relevant, viscosity, fill volume, container dimensions, closure type, target output, batch size and site constraints.
Can one machine handle more than one chemical product?
Often it can, but compatibility, cleaning, changeover and container format need to be checked before the specification is confirmed.
Should filling and capping be considered together?
Yes. Closure type, torque, trigger orientation, bottle stability and line speed can affect filler selection and conveyor layout.
Speak to Lancing
Need help choosing the right route?
Send the product, fill volume, container, closure and target output. Include SDS and compatibility notes where relevant.
Guide scope
Use this guide to prepare a machinery brief, not to replace competent DSEAR or conformity work.
HSE states that DSEAR requires employers to eliminate or control risks from dangerous substances and to classify areas where explosive atmospheres may occur into zones. Equipment intended for potentially explosive atmospheres has separate supply requirements. The machine, site, process, ventilation, static control and operating procedures must be coordinated by competent parties.
Project information pack
Provide the facts that determine the intended hazardous-area duty.
Start with a current SDS and process description. HSE notes that an SDS provides hazard information but is not itself a risk assessment. The competent workplace assessment should define release sources, likelihood and duration, ventilation, zone extent and the basis for selecting electrical and non-electrical equipment.
Product
- Full formulation or trade product and SDS revision
- Flash point and operating temperature
- Vapour pressure where relevant
- Conductivity/static information if known
- Viscosity, density, foam and particulates
- Cleaning or flushing solvent
Area classification
- Zone and its physical extent
- Gas group and temperature class where applicable
- Normal and abnormal release scenarios
- Ventilation/extraction basis
- Adjacent equipment and access
- Competent assessor and document revision
Machine duty
- Fill range and tolerance definition
- Container material, neck and closure
- Target good output and batch pattern
- Bulk feed and product return
- Nozzle position and vapour capture
- Line stages inside/near the zone
Site controls
- Bonding and earthing strategy
- Extraction interface and failure response
- Spill containment and drainage
- Utilities and isolation
- Operating/cleaning procedures
- Inspection and maintenance regime
Responsibility matrix
Write down who owns each safety and conformity decision.
| Decision or deliverable | Project question | Typical record |
|---|---|---|
| DSEAR risk assessment | Who assesses the workplace process and controls dangerous-substance risks? | Employer’s competent assessment and action plan |
| Hazardous-area classification | Who defines zone, extent, group/class and release basis? | Classification drawing and supporting calculation/report |
| Machine intended use | What product, zone, category, ambient/process conditions and line boundary apply? | Approved user-requirement and equipment specification |
| Equipment conformity | Who selects the applicable regulations, standards, assessment route, marking and declaration? | Technical documentation, certificates/declarations and equipment schedule |
| Installation | Who verifies wiring, glands, bonding, extraction, mechanical installation and inspection? | Installation drawings, inspection/test records and as-built file |
| Operation and maintenance | Who controls training, permits, cleaning, inspection, repair and changes? | Procedures, training records, inspection schedule and management of change |
Machine design questions
Review electrical and non-electrical ignition sources.
Do not limit the review to motors and control panels. Bearings, friction, impact, hot surfaces, static, mechanical sparks, valves, sensors, heaters, printers and mobile equipment may affect the intended installation. Define the safe response to loss of air, power, extraction, earthing continuity or product supply.
Bonding and earthing
List the items to be bonded, connection points, expected resistance or verification criterion, test method and permissive/interlock logic. Where receiving containers are non-conductive, obtain specialist advice; attaching a cable does not automatically control charging within an insulating liquid/container system.
Extraction and containment
Specify capture location, required airflow or pressure condition, compatible duct materials, monitoring, discharge route and machine response to failure. Define bund or tray capacity from the credible release basis and provide safe recovery or drainage. A tray that can overflow or drain to an uncontrolled location is not a complete spill-control design.
Documents to request
- Approved machine and line specification
- Equipment schedule and marking details
- Relevant declarations/certificates and instructions
- Hazardous-area installation requirements
- Electrical, pneumatic and control drawings
- Bonding/earthing and extraction interfaces
- Inspection, maintenance and spare-part requirements
- FAT/SAT protocols and completed records
Acceptance testing
Separate factory machine evidence from site installation evidence.
FAT can verify the supplied configuration, documented markings, controls, alarms, interlocks and representative filling performance. It should include the specified response to a missing earth connection or extraction permissive where those functions are part of the supply. SAT must then verify the actual installed utilities, bonding, extraction, zone interfaces, equipment inspection, operating procedures and training. Do not sign off site controls that were not available or measurable at the factory.
ATEX requirements FAQ
Answers that keep the project boundary clear.
What is the difference between DSEAR and ATEX equipment requirements?
DSEAR addresses workplace risks from dangerous substances, including zoning and controls. Equipment-supply legislation addresses equipment and protective systems intended for potentially explosive atmospheres. A project may need both strands coordinated.
Who supplies the zone information?
The employer/site should provide a competent hazardous-area classification for the intended process. A machinery supplier can use that information but should not invent a zone from a product name.
Does CE or UKCA marking prove the whole site is safe?
No. Product marking relates to applicable product-supply requirements for the equipment. Safe installation and operation still depend on the site assessment, utilities, extraction, earthing, procedures and maintenance.
Can a machine be described as “ATEX ready” without a final zone?
That phrase is not a complete specification. The intended zone, category, group/class, conditions, marking and documentation need to be agreed for the actual project.
Should the SDS be sent with the enquiry?
Yes where relevant, together with operating temperature and process details. It provides important hazard information, but the site must still complete its own risk assessment.
Are downstream machines part of the ATEX project?
They may be if they are inside the classified area or affect releases, ventilation, container closure or safe control. Review the complete line and zone extent rather than the filler alone.
Where can specialist ATEX machine information be found?
Use ATEX Filling Machines UK for the Lancing specialist route and HSE’s current ATEX/DSEAR guidance for workplace duties.
ATEX specification pack
Send the SDS, zone information and process layout together.
Include the intended product, packs, output, extraction, bonding/earthing, containment and equipment boundary.