UL Certification Testing Material Laboratory North American Certification

American UL certification,UL Testing & Certification

Introduction of American UL Certification
UL is short for Underwriter Laboratories Inc. The UL Safety Test Institute is the most authoritative in the United States, and it is also a large non-governmental organization engaged in safety testing and identification in the world. It is an independent, non-profit, professional agency that conducts tests for public safety. Unlike the FCC certification, UL certification is a safety certification. UL is mainly engaged in product safety certification and operating safety certification business. Its ultimate purpose is to obtain products with a fairly safe level for the market, and to contribute to ensuring human health and property safety . In the United States, UL is a symbol of the safety mark for consumers. Globally, UL is one of the most trusted manufacturers of conformity assessment providers.

Certification category
The types of UL's product certification and testing services can be divided into listing, recognition and classification.

1. LISTED:
Generally speaking, the listing is only applicable to complete products and various devices and devices that are replaced or installed by qualified personnel on site. Various products that belong to the UL listing service include: household appliances, medical equipment, computers, commercial equipment And all kinds of electrical products in the building, such as power distribution systems, fuses, wires, switches and other electrical components. UL listed products can usually be marked with the UL listed mark on each product. The use of column name flags.

2. Recognized:
Recognition service is an item in UL service, and the products it approves can only be used as components and raw materials on UL listing, classification or other recognized products. Approved products are incomplete in structure or have certain restrictions in use to ensure that the expected safety performance is achieved. In most cases, tracking services for approved products fall into category R. Approved products that fall into category L include electronic wires (AVLV2), processed wires (ZKLU2), wire harnesses (ZPFW2), aluminum wires (DVVR2), and metal flexible tubes (DXUZ2). Approved products require an approval mark.

3. Classification:
The grading service only evaluates specific hazards of products, or evaluates products that implement standards other than UL standards (including internationally recognized standards such as IEC and ISO standards). Generally speaking, most graded products are not products for consumer use, but products for industrial or commercial use. The grading mark in the UL mark indicates that the product has certain restrictions and specified scope when UL is identified. For example, chemicals such as solvents used in industry are evaluated only in the range of fires that may occur when they reach the ignition temperature. The grading and listing services of some products are the same, but generally only evaluate one or more aspects of the product. For example, in the United States, equipment such as medical X-ray diagnostic instruments must comply with U.S. laws and relevant radiation emissions and The accuracy of the flow is specified, but because UL only uses X-rays as a graded product, it only evaluates its mechanical properties, electrical properties, and other non-radiating properties.

Applicable product range
Electronic, electrical, mechanical or electromechanical products
Any electronic, electrical, mechanical or electromechanical product with the UL mark indicates that this product has reached the minimum requirements of generally recognized US and Canadian product safety standards. It is tested to meet the relevant product safety standards and also represents the production plant. Agree to receive strict regular inspections to ensure consistent product quality and can be sold to the US and Canadian markets.
Application process
1. The applicant submits relevant company and product information
Written application: You should request UL to test your company's products in writing.
Company Information: Provide detailed and accurate names, addresses, contacts, postal codes, telephone and fax in Chinese and English. (1) Application company: The company that submits the application for product testing and is responsible for all engineering service costs

(2) Listed companies: Companies listed in various product catalogs published by UL

(3) Production factory: The manufacturer and producer of the product.
Product information: Product information should be provided in English. First determine if your product falls into the scope of UL testing,

(1) Product name: Provide the full name of the product.
(2) Product model: List all product models, varieties or classification numbers that need to be tested in detail.
(3) The intended use of the product: for example: home, office, factory, coal mine, ship, etc.
(4) Parts list: List the parts and models (classification numbers), ratings, and names of manufacturers that make up the product in detail. For insulation materials, please provide the raw material name, for example: GE Polycarbonate, Lexan Type 104. When the component has obtained UL certification or approval, please prove the specific model of the component and indicate its UL file number.

(5) Electrical performance: For electronic and electrical products. Provide electrical schematic diagram (circuit diagram), electrical performance table.

(6) Structural drawing: For most products, the structural drawing or exploded drawing of the product, the ingredient list, etc. are required.

(7) Product photos, instructions for use, safety, etc. or installation instructions.

2. People make decisions based on the product information provided
When the product information is complete, UL's engineers make the following decisions based on the data: the UL standard on which the experiment is based, the engineering cost of the test, the test time, the number of samples, etc., you will be notified in writing, and the formal application form and tracking service Send the agreement to your company. The application form indicates the cost limit, which is the maximum engineering cost estimated by UL based on the test items. Without the written authorization of your company, the cost limit cannot be exceeded.

3.Apply for company remittance, return application form and samples
The applicant of the UL certification sign the application form and the tracking service agreement, and return the form to the UL company. At the same time, send the sample at the post office or by express mail through bank transfer. Description (such as name, model). Application forms and samples should be sent separately. For each application project, UL will assign a unique project number (Project No.) to indicate the project number and application company name when remittance, sending samples and application forms, so that UL can check it.

4. Product testing
After receiving the application form, remittance, and experimental samples signed by your company, UL will inform you when the experimental plan is completed. Product testing is generally performed at UL laboratories in the United States. UL also accepts audited third-party test data. Experimental samples will be returned or destroyed at your request. If the product test results meet the requirements of UL standards, UL will issue a test compliance report and follow up service rules (FollowUp Service Proccdure). The test report will detail the test situation, the indicators reached by the sample, the product structure, and the safety mark suitable for the product. The tracking service details include a description of the product and instructions for UL area inspectors. A copy of the test report is sent to the applicant company, and a copy of the tracking service details is sent to each production plant.

5. The applicant is authorized to use the UL mark
UL regional inspector in China contacted production plant for initial factory inspection (Initial Production Inspection
.IPI), inspectors check your products and their parts and components in production lines and warehouses to confirm whether the product structure and parts are consistent with the tracking service rules. If required by the rules, the regional inspectors will also conduct witness tests When the inspection results

UL factory inspection
Certified factory inspection In China, the UL regional inspector contacted the production factory for the initial factory inspection (IPI). The inspector inspected your products and their parts in the production line and warehouse inventory to confirm the product structure. And whether the parts are consistent with the tracking service rules, if required by the rules, the area inspector will conduct a witness test. When the inspection results meet the requirements, the applicant is authorized to use the UL mark.

After IPI, inspectors will visit the factory from time to time to check the product structure and conduct eye-witness tests. The frequency of inspections is determined by the product type and production volume. Most types of products are inspected at least four times a year (the cost of tracking services is not included in the cost of testing). The inspector's inspection is to ensure that the product continues to comply with UL requirements. Please inform UL before you plan to change the product structure or components. For minor changes, UL does not need to repeat any experiments. UL can quickly modify the tracking service details so that inspectors can accept such changes. When UL believes that product changes affect its safety performance, it needs to apply for re-submission of samples for necessary testing.

Certification review
Before the first batch of UL-certified products are shipped, they must be sent to the factory for inspection by the local authorized provincial China Import and Export Commodity Inspection Bureau (CCIB) authorized by UL. Follow-up inspections are conducted every year.