DRAFT COMMUNIQUE ON ECO -DESIGN REQUIREMENTS FOR WELDING 
EQUIPMENT (SGM:2020/…)  
Objective  
ARTICLE  1- (1) The object of this Communique is to establish eco -design requirements 
for placing on the market and/or putting into service of electric mains operated welding 
equipments related to implementation of the Regulation on Ecodesign Requirements for 
Energy -Related Products entered into force by Cabinet Decree dated 23/6/2010 and numbered 
2010/643.  
Scope  
ARTICLE  2- (1) This Communique shall apply to welding equipment using one or more 
of the following welding and allied processes:  
a) manual metal arc welding;  
b) shielded metal arc welding;  
c) self-shielded flux -cored welding;  
ç) flux cored arc welding;  
d) metal active gas and metal inert gas welding;  
e) tungsten inert gas welding;  
f) plasma arc cutting.  
(2) This Communique shall not apply to welding equipment using the following w elding 
and allied processes:  
a) submerged arc welding,  
b) limited -duty arc welding,  
c) resistance welding,  
ç) stud welding.  
Legal Basis  
ARTICLE  3- (1) This Communique has been prepared on the basis of the Law No. 4703 
of 29/6/2001 on the Preparation and Implementation  of Technical Legislation on Products and 
Presidential Decree No. 1 on the Presidency Organization published in the Official Gazette No. 
30474 dated 10/7/2018  
Definitions   
ARTICLE 4 - (1) For the purposes of this Communiqué, in addition to the definitions in 
the Regulation on Ecodesign Requirements for Energy -Related Products ; 
a) ‘EU’ means European Union,  
b) ‘Flux cored arc welding ’ means a welding process that uses composite tubular filler 
metal electrodes consisting of a metal sheath and a core of various powd ered materials, 
producing an extensive slag cover on the face of a weld bead. The use of external shield gas(es) 
may or may not be required,  
c) ‘Ministry ’ means Ministry of Industry and Technology,  
ç) ‘Resistance welding ’ means a thermo -electrical process in whi ch heat is generated at 
the interface of the parts to be joined by passing an electrical current through the parts for a 
precisely controlled time and under a controlled pressure. No consumables such as welding 
rods or shielding gases are required,  
d) ‘Equiva lent model ’ means a model which has the same technical characteristics relevant 
for the technical information to be provided, but which is placed on the market or put into 
service by the same manufacturer or authorised representative or importer as another  model 
with a different model identifier,  
e) ‘Welding equipment ’ means products that are used for manual, automated or semi -
automated welding, brazing, soldering or cutting (or all of the above) via arc welding and allied 
processes, and that is stationary or transportable, and consists of linked parts or components, at 
least one of which moves and which are joined together to produce coalescence of metals by 
heating them to the welding temperature (with or without the application of pressure) or by the 
applica tion of pressure alone, with or without the use of filler metal, and with or without the 
use of sh ielding gas (es), using appropriate tools and techniques, resulting in a product of 
defined geometry;  
f) ‘Self-shielded flux -cored welding ’ means a wire welding p rocess in which a continuous 
hollow -wire electrode is fed through the welding gun into the weld joint without the need to 
use an external shielding gas to protect the weld pool from contamination. Instead of an external 
shielding gas, a flux compound withi n the hollow wire reacts with the welding arc to form a 
gas that protects the weld pool,  
g) ‘Shielded metal arc welding ’ means an arc -welding process whereby coalescence is 
produced by heating with an electric arc between a covered metal electrode and the wor k-piece 
and work area. Shielding is obtained from decomposition of the electrode covering. Pressure is 
not used and filler metal is obtained from the electrode,   
ğ) ‘Shielding gas ’ (also referred to as ‘secondary gas’) means a gas that does not pass 
through the orifice of the nozzle, but instead passes around the nozzle and forms a shield around 
the electric arc,  
h) ‘Manual metal arc welding ’ means an arc -welding process with a coated electrode 
where the operator’s hand controls the travel speed of the welding operation and the rate at 
which the electrode is fed into the electric arc;  
ı) ‘Metal active gas welding ’ means a gas metal arc welding process whereby coalescence 
is produced by hea ting with an arc between a continuous filler metal (consumable) electrode 
and the workpiece area. Shielding is obtained entirely from an externally supplied gas, or gas 
mixture, that is active,  
i)  ‘Metal inert gas welding ’ means a gas metal arc welding proce ss whereby coalescence 
is produced by heating with an arc between a continuous filler metal (consumable) electrode 
and the workpiece area. Shielding is obtained entirely from an externally supplied gas, or gas 
mixture, that is inert,  
j) ‘Model identifier ’ means the code, usually alphanumeric, which distinguishes a specific 
product model from other models with the same trade mark or the same manufacturer’s, 
authorised repr esentative’s or importer’s name,  
k) ‘Plasma arc cutting ’ means an arc cutting process that uses a constricted arc and removes 
the molten metal in a high velocity jet of ionised gas (plasma gas) issuing from the constricting 
orifice. Plasma arc cutting is a direct -current electrode -negative process,  
l) ‘Plasma gas ’ (also referred to as ‘orifice gas’ or ‘cutting gas’) means a gas directed into 
the torch to surround the electrode, which becomes ionised by the arc to form a plasma and 
issues from the torch nozzle as the plasma jet,  
m)  ‘Stud welding ’ means a welding proce ss in which a metal stud or a similar part is joined 
(manually, in automated or in semi -automated way) to a workpiece using an arc of electricity 
to heat both parts,  
n) ‘Limited -duty arc welding ’ means arc welding and allied processes that are not for 
industr ial and professi onal applications and,  
1) use single -phase public low -voltage input,  
2) if engine driven, do not exceed an output power of 7,5 kVA;  
3) do not require arc -striking and stabilising devices, liquid cooling system s or gas 
consoles for operation,  
o) ‘Submer ged arc welding ’ means an arc welding process that uses an arc or arcs 
exceeding 600 amperes between a bare metal electrode or electrodes and the weld pool. The  
arc and molten metal are shielded by a blanket of granular flux on the workpieces. No pressure 
is applied and the process uses filler metal from the electrode and sometimes from a 
supplementary source such as a welding rod, flux or metal granules,  
ö) ‘Tungsten inert gas welding ’ means an arc welding process whereby coalescence is 
produced by heating wi th an arc between a single tungsten (non -consumable) electrode and the 
workpiece area. Shielding is obtained from a gas or gas mixture. Pressure may or may not be 
used and filler metal may or may not be used,  
(2) Additional definitions are set out in Annex  I. 
Ecodesign Requirements  
ARTICLE  5- (1) The ecodesign requirements set out in Annex II shall apply from the date 
of the entry into force of this Comm unique.  
Conformity assessment  
ARTICLE  6- (1) The conformity assessment pro cedure  referred to in Article 10 of the 
Regulation on Ecodesign Requirements for Energy -Related Products  shall be the internal 
design control system set out in Annex -IV, or the management system set o ut in Annex -V, to 
that Regulation . 
(2) For the purposes of con formity assessment purs uant to Article 10  of the Regulation on 
Ecodesign Requirements for Energy -Related Products , the technical documentation file shall 
contain a copy of the product information pr ovided in accordance with Annex -II, points 2 and 
3, and th e details and results of th e calculations set out in Annex -III to this Communique.  
(3) Where the information in the technical documentation for a particular model has been 
obtained:  
a) from a model that has the same technical characteristics relevant for the technical 
information to be provided but is produced by a different manufacturer;  
b) by calculation on the basis of design or extrapolation from another model of the 
same or a different manufacturer, or both;  
the technical documentation shall include the details of such calculation, the assessment 
undertaken by the manufacturer to verify the accuracy of the calculation and, where appropriate, 
the declaration of identity between the models of different manufacturers.  The technical 
documentation shall includ e a list of all equivalent models, including the model identifiers.  
Verification procedure for market surveillance purposes   
ARTICLE  7- (1) The Ministry shall apply the verification pr ocedure described in Annex -
IV of  this Communique when performing the mark et surveillance checks referred to in point 2 
of Article 5 of the Regulation on Ecodesign Requirements for Energy -Related Products . 
Circumvention and software updates  
ARTICLE  8- (1) The manufacturer , authorised representative  or importer shall not place 
on the market products  designed to be able to detect they are being tested (e.g. by recognizing 
the test conditions or test cycle), and to react specifically by automatically altering their 
performance du ring the test with the aim  of reaching a more favourab le level for any of the 
parameters declared by the manufacturer, importer or authorised representative in the technical 
documentation or included in any of the documentation provided.  
(2) The energy consumption of the product and any of the other declared parameters shall 
not deteriorate after a software or firmware update when measured with the same test standard 
originally used for the declaration of conformity, except with explicit consent of the end -user 
prior to the update. No performance change shall occur as result of rejecting the update.  
(3) A software update shall never have the effect of changing the product’s performance in 
a way that makes it non -compliant with the ecodesign requirements applicable for the 
declaration of conformity.  
Benchmarks  
ARTICLE  9- (1) The benchmarks for the best -performing products and techniques 
available on the ma rket at the time this Communique  is adopted are set out in Annex V.  
Consultation Forum  
ARTICLE  10- (1) The Ministry shall participate  in meetings of the Consultation Forum 
with respect to this Communique established by the European Commisssion to assess whether 
it is appropriate to set specific ecodesign requirements with regard to stricter limits to power 
source efficiency and idle state p ower consumption, the emissions to air associated with the use 
of welding equipment, additional resource efficiency requirements for the products in 
accordance with the objectives of the circular economy , products using submerged arc welding, 
limited duty arc welding, resistance wel ding and stud welding processes and to exp and the 
scope of this Communique  to professional machine tools, and in particular set specific 
ecodesign requirements for machine tools with regard to minimum efficiency values in non -
processing, standby and other low power modes.   
Compliance with the European Union Legislation  
ARTICLE  11- (1) This Communiqué has been prepared within the framework of 
harmonization with the EU legislation on the basis of Commission Regulation dated 1 October  
2019 numbered (EU) 2019/1784 laying down ecodesign requirements for welding equipment 
pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.  
Entry into force  
ARTICLE  12- (1)  This Communique enters into force on its publication in the Official 
Gazette.  
Enforcement  
ARTICLE  13- (1) The provisions of this Communique shall be enforced by the Minister 
of Industry and Technology.  
   
ANNEX -I 
DEFINITIONS APPLI CABLE FOR THE ANNEXES  
In addition to the definitions in the Communiqué ; 
(1) ‘Power source efficiency ’ means t he ratio, expressed in a percentage, of the output power 
at standardised welding conditions and standardised welding load voltages, to the highest 
power consumption of the power source,  
(2) ‘Idle state ’ means t he operating state in wh ich the power is switched on and the welding 
circuit is not energised,  
(3) ‘Idle state power consumption ’ means t he power demand, in watts, in idle state,  
(4) ‘Power source ’ means  A device that utilises alternating current (AC) to either power one 
or more AC power  outputs, or which converts AC to one or more DC power outputs, for 
the purpose of powering a welding equipment,  
(5) ‘Control panel ’ means  An overall operating interface, containing controls and indicators, 
between the user and the welding equipment;  
(6) ‘Equipmen t housing ’ means a  casing intended to protect the product from the environment, 
including ambient humidity and possible shock impacts,  
(7) ‘Battery ’ means A device as defined in Article 4 of Regula tion on Control of Waste 
Batteries a nd Accumulators published in the Official Gazette dated 31/8/2004 and 
numbered 25569 as accumulator, battery and rechargeab le battery,  
(8) ‘Welding torch ’ means a  device which delivers the welding current to the electrode, which 
may include transferring the current to a consumable elec trode, where used, and which 
also delivers the shielding gas, where used, to the electric arc area,  
(9) ‘Gas supply hose’ means a  supply hose specifically designed for supply of fuel gases (such 
as acetylene), compressed air and shielding gases used in welding , normally consisting of 
a tube and a protective cover, often specific to the gas type used, and sometimes to the 
operating conditions,  
(10) ‘Gas supply regulator ’ means a  device which reduces the higher pressure of the supplied 
compressed gases to the lower pr essure that can be safely used in the welding equipment, 
often equipped with a metering valve or flowmeter to measure and/or control gas flow,  
(11) ‘Welding wire drive ’ means a  device, used to feed welding wire or filler material, that may 
be of the type of push, pull or a push -pull combination,   
(12) ‘Fan’ means a  rotary bladed machine used to maintain a continuos flow of gases such as 
air, acts for instance as the internal cooling s ystem for the power source.  
(13) ‘Electricity supply cable ’ means a n electric energy supply cable meeting the performance 
and safety requirements of internationally recognised welding cable standards;  
(14) ‘professional repairer ’ means  an operator or undertaking whi ch provides services of repair 
and professional maintenance for welding equipment,  
(15) ‘Spare part ’ means a  separate part that can replace a part with the same or similar function 
in a welding equipment.  
   
ANNEX -II 
ECODESIGN REQUIREMENTS  
1. Energy efficiency requirements  
From 1 January 2023, the power source efficiency of welding equipment, shall not be lower 
than the values set out in Table 1, and the idle state power consumption shall not exceed the 
values set out in Table 1.  
Table 1 
Power source efficiency and idle state power consumption  
 Minimum power 
source efficiency  Maximum idle state 
power consumption  
Welding equipment powered by three -phase 
power sources with direct current (DC) 
output  % 85  50 W  
Welding equipment powered by single -
phase power sources with direct current 
(DC) output  % 80  50 W  
Welding equipment pow ered by single -
phase and three -phase power sources with 
alternating current (AC) output  % 80  50 W  
Compliance with the ecodesign requirements on power source efficiency and idle state 
power consumption shall be assessed, measured and calculated in accordance wi th the 
methods set out in Annex -III. 
2. Resource efficiency requirements  
From the date of entry into force of this Comm unique, welding equipment shall meet the 
following requirements:  
(a) Availability of spare parts ;  
(1) Manufacturers, authorised representatives or importers of welding eq uipment shall 
make available to professional repairer s at least the following spare parts for a 
minimum period of 10 years after th e production of the last unit of a welding 
equipment model:  
(a) control panel;  
(b) power source(s);  
(c) equipment housing;  
(d) battery(ies);  
(e) welding torch;  
(f) gas supply hose(s);  
(g) gas supply regulator(s);  
(h) welding wire or filler material drive;  
(i) fan(s);  
(j) electricity supply cable;  
(k) software and firmware including reset software.  
(2) Manufacturers shall ensure that these spare parts can be replaced with the use of 
commonly available tools and without permanent damage to the equipment and the 
part. 
(3) The list of these spare parts and the procedure for ordering them shall be publicly 
available on the free access website of the manufacturer, authorised representative 
or importer, at the latest two years after placing on the market of the first unit  of a 
model and until the end of the availability of these spare parts.  
(b) Access to rep air and maintenance information;  
No later than two years after the placing on the market of the first unit of a model, and 
until the end of the period mentioned under poin t 2.a.1 of this Annex, the manufacturer, 
importer or authorised representative shall provide access to the welding equipment 
repair and maintenance information to professional repairer s in the following 
conditions:  
1. The manufacturer’s, authorised representative’s or importer’s website shall indicate 
the process for professional repairer s to register for access to information . To accept 
such a request, manufacturers, authorised representatives or importers may require  
the professional repairer  to demonstrate that:  
(i) The professional repairer  has the technical expertise to repair and maintain 
welding equipment and complies with the applicable regulations for r epairers of 
electrical equipment . (Reference to an official regis tration  system as 
professional repairer  shall be accepted as proof of compliance with this point .) 
(ii) The professional repairer  is covered by insurance covering liabilities resulting 
from its activity regardl ess of whether this is required.  
2. the manufacturer, authorised representative or importer shall accept or refuse the 
registration within 5 working days from the date of requ est by the professional 
repairer . 
Once reg istered, a professional repairer shall have access, within one working day 
after requesting it, to the requested repair and maintenance information. The 
information may be provided for an equivalent model or model of the same family, 
if relevant. The available repair and maintenance information shall include:  
— the unequivocal welding equipment i dentification information,  
— a disassembly map or exploded view,  
— a list of necessary repair and test equipment,  
— component and diagnosis information (such as minimum and maximum 
theoretical values for measurement),  
— wiring and connection diagrams,  
— diagnostic fault and error codes (including manufacturer -specific codes where 
applicable),  
— data records of reported failure incidents stored in the welding equipment 
(where applicable), and  
— instructions for installation of relevant software and firmware including reset 
software.  
Manufacturers, authorised representatives or importers may charge reasonable and 
proportionate fees for access to the repair and maintenance information or for 
receiving regular updates. A fee is reasonable if it does not discourage access by 
failing to take into account the extent to  which the professional repairer  uses the  
information.  
(c) Maximum delivery time for spare parts  
During the period mentioned under point 2.a.1  of this Annex, the manufacturer, 
importer or authoris ed representative shall ensure the d elivery to professional repairer s 
of spare parts for welding equipment within 15 working days after having received the 
order.  
This availability may be limite d to professional repairer s registered in accordance  with 
point 2.b of this Annex . 
(d) Information on the display of welding equipment  
Where a display is provided for a welding equipment it shall provide indication of the 
use of welding wire or filler material in grams per minute or equivalent standardised 
units of measu rement.  
(e) Requirements for dismantling for material recovery and rec ycling while avoiding 
pollution  
Manufacturers shall ensure that welding equipment are designed in such a way that the 
materials and components referred to in point 3 of Article 14 of Regulat ion on the 
Control of Waste Electrical and E lectronic Equipment  published in the Official Gazette 
dated 22/05/2012 and numbered 28300 can be removed with the use of commonly 
available tools.  
Manufacturers shall fulfil the obligations laid down in point 1 o f Article 20 of 
Regulation on the Control of Waste Electrical and E lectronic Equipment . 
3. Information requirements  
From the date of entry into force of this Commique, manufacturers, their authorised 
representatives or importers shall ensure that the following information is provided in the 
instruction manuals for installers and end -users, and for at least 10 years after the first unit 
of a welding equipment model is placed on the market, on the free -access websites of 
manufacturers, their authorised r epresentatives or importers:  
(a) the product type,   
(b) the manufacturer’s name, registered trade name and registered address at which they 
can be contacted,  
(c) the product model identifier,  
(d) the power source efficiency (in %),  
(e) the idle state power consumption (in watts),  
(f) a list of equivalent models,  
(g) information relevant to recycling and disposal at end -of-life, 
(h) a list of critical raw materials present in indicative amounts higher than 1 gram at 
component level, if any, and an indication of the component(s) in which  these critical 
raw materials are present;  
(i) indicative shielding gas utilisation for representative welding schedules and 
programmes,  
(j) indicative welding wire or filler material utilisation for representative welding schedules 
and programmes.  
The following i nformation shall be provided on the rating plate of welding equipment:  
(a) the year of manufacture .   
ANNEX -III 
MEASUREMENTS AND CALCULATIONS  
For the purposes of compliance and verification of compliance with the  requirements of this 
Communique , measurements an d calculations shall be made using harmonised standards, the 
reference numbers of which have been published for this purpose in the Official Journal of the 
European Union, or using other reliable, accurate and reproducible methods which take into 
account t he generally recognised state -of-the-art, and produce results deemed to be of low 
uncertainty.  
   
ANNEX  IV 
VERIFICATION PROCEDURE FOR MARKET SURVEILLANCE PURPOSES  
The verification tolerances defined in this Annex relate only to the verification of the measured 
parameters by Member State authorities and shall not be used by the manufacturer, importer or 
authorised representative as an allowed tolerance to establish the values in the technical 
documentation or in interpreting these values with a view to a chieving compliance or to 
communicate better performance by any means.  
Where a model has been designed to be able to detect it is being tested (e.g. by recognizing test 
conditions or test cycle), and to react specifically by automatically altering its perf ormance 
during the test with the objective of reaching a more favourable level for any of the paramet ers 
specified in this Communique  or included in the technical documentation or included in any of 
the documentation provided, the model and all equivalent models shall be considered not 
compliant.  
When verifying the compliance of a product model with the requirements laid down in this 
Communique pursuant to point 2  of Article 5  of the Regulation on Ecodesign Requirements of 
Energy -Related Products , for the requirements referred to in this Annex, the Ministry shall 
apply the following procedure:  
1. The Ministry shall verify one unit of the model.  
2. The model shall be considered to comply with the applicable requirements where the 
following conditions are met:  
(a) the values given in the technical documentation pursuant to point 2 of Annex IV to the 
Regulation on Ecodesign Requirements for Energy -Related Products  (declared values) , 
and, where applicable, the values used to calculate these values, are not more favoura ble 
for the manufacturer, importer or authorised representative than the results of the 
corresponding measurements carried out pursuant to paragraph ( g) thereof; and  
(b) The declared values meet any requireme nts laid down in this Communique , and any 
required p roduct information published by the manufacturer, importer or authorised 
representative does not contain values that are more favourable for the manufacturer, 
importer or authorised representative than the declared values,  and  
(c) When the Ministry check the u nit of the model, it find that the manufacturer, importer 
or authorised representative has put in place a system that complies with the 
requirements in the second point of Article 9 of this Commique,  
(d) When the Ministry check the unit of the model, it compli es with the requirement in the 
third point of Article 9 of this Commique, the resource efficiency requirements in point  
2 of Annex II and the information requirements in point  3 of Annex II,  
(e) When the Ministry test the unit of the model, the determined valu es (the values of the 
relevant parameters as measured in testing and the values calculated from these 
measurements) comply with the respective verification tolerances as given in Table 2.  
3.Where the results referred to in points 2(a), 2(b), 2(c) or 2( d) of this Annex are not achieved, 
the model and all equivalent models shall be considered not to comply with the Commique . 
4. Where the result referred to in point 2( e) of this Annex is not achieved, the M inistry  shall 
select three additional units of the same model for testing. As an alternative, the three additional 
units selected may be of one or more equivalent models.  
5. The model shall be considered to comply with the applicable requirements if, for these th ree 
units, the arithmetical mean of the determined values complies with the respective verification 
tolerances given in Table 2.  
6. Where the result referred to in point  5 of this Annex is not achieved, the model and all 
equivalent models shall be consider ed not to comply with the Commique . 
7. The Ministry shall provide all relevant information to the Commission and to the relevant 
authorities of the Member States through the Ministry of Trade without delay after a decision 
is taken on non -compliance of the  model according to points 3 and 6 of this Annex . 
The M inistry  shall use the measurement and calculation methods set out in Annex III.  
The M inistry  shall only apply the verification tolerances that are set out in Table 2 and shall 
only use the procedure de scribed in points 1 to 7 for the requirements referred to in this Annex. 
For the parameters in Table 2, no other verification tolerances, such as those set out in 
harmonised standards or in any other measurement method, shall be applied.   
Table  2 
Verificati on Tolerances  
Parameters  Verification tolerances  
Power source efficiency (%)  The determined value (*) shall not be lower than the 
declared value by more than 2 %.  
Idle state power consumption (watt)  The determined value (*) shall not exceed the declared 
value by more than 10 %.  
(*) in the case of three additional units tested as prescribed in point 4, the determined value 
means the arithmetical mean of the values determined for these three additional units   
ANNEX -V 
BENCHMARKS  
The following benchmarks are identified for the purpose of Part 3, articles  2,3 and 4  of Annex 
I to the Regulation on Ecodesign Requirements for Energy -Related Products . 
The best available technology on the market, at the time of entry into force of this Communique , 
for the environmental aspects that were considered significant and are quantifiable is indicated 
below.  
 
Table 3 
Benchmarks for power source efficiency and idle state power consumption  
 
Product Type  Power source 
efficiency  Maximum idle state 
power consumption  
Welding equipment powered by three -phase power 
sources with direct current (DC) output  92 %  10 W  
Welding equipment powered by single -phase power 
sources with direct current (DC) output  90 %  10 W  
Welding equipment powered by single -phase and three -
phase power sources with alternating current (AC) 
output  83 %  10 W