Fiber laser marking machine stopped from sale after Safety Gate finds accessible laser radiation

What Safety Gate found

On 10 September 2026, Austria reported a Sihao fiber laser marking machine to the EU Safety Gate. The product is described as a laser engraver for all materials (CNC laser machine) and originates from the People's Republic of China.

Safety Gate states that the user can have unprotected access to the laser beam during operation, which could damage sight. The alert also states that scattered radiation emitted during operation could injure the user and other people. In addition, vapours generated while processing materials may expose users to toxic substances and create further health risks.

The official alert states that the product does not comply with the Machinery Directive. The measure recorded by Safety Gate is a stop of sales.

Why this matters

For an enclosed laser-processing machine, one of the most important safety questions is whether hazardous laser radiation remains inaccessible during normal and reasonably foreseeable use. This is directly relevant to the LaserMachineSafety.eu Class 1 checklist question: Do you need to access the laser?

The alert also shows why buyers should look beyond the appearance of a machine or a CE mark. The enclosure, access points and safety functions need to work together so users are not exposed to hazardous radiation. Safety Gate does not identify every individual design fault or harmonised standard involved in this case, so those details should not be inferred from the alert.

The reported vapour risk is a separate reminder that laser processing can create hazardous fumes depending on the material being processed. Radiation safety and extraction both need to be considered when evaluating a laser machine.

What buyers should check

• Ask the supplier for the machine's EU Declaration of Conformity and check which legislation and standards the manufacturer declares.
• Check whether the laser beam or hazardous scattered radiation can be accessed during normal operation, loading, cleaning or foreseeable maintenance.
• Examine the enclosure, doors and access panels and ask how their safety functions are monitored. Do not assume that a closed-looking housing automatically makes a machine safe.
• Check that any required access is controlled by an appropriate safety system and that a single simple failure cannot leave hazardous radiation accessible.
• Make sure the machine has suitable fume extraction for the materials you intend to process and follow material-specific safety guidance.
• If documentation is unclear or the supplier cannot explain the machine's safety concept, treat that as a reason to investigate further before purchase or use.

Official source

EU Safety Gate alert SR/02441/26, reported by Austria and published on 10 September 2026.

This LaserMachineSafety.eu article adds educational context to the official alert. It is not a conformity assessment or legal advice.