Certification Introduction
UL is the abbreviation of Underwriter Laboratories Inc. (Underwriter Laboratories Inc.). The UL Safety Laboratory is the most authoritative in the United States and the largest private institution engaged in safety testing and identification in the world. It is an independent, not-for-profit, professional organization that conducts experiments for public safety. Unlike 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 the assurance of personal health and property safety. In the United States, UL is the symbol of safety marks for consumers, and globally, UL is one of the most trusted conformity assessment providers for manufacturers.
Certification Category
The types of UL's product certification and testing services can be divided into listing, recognized and classification.
1. LISTED:
Generally speaking, listing is only applicable to complete products and various devices and devices that are replaced or installed on-site by qualified personnel. Various products belonging to UL listing services include: household appliances, medical equipment, computers, commercial equipment and various electrical products that function in buildings, such as power distribution systems, fuses, wires, switches and other electrical components. Products listed by UL can usually be marked with the UL listing mark on each product. Usage of column name flags.
2. Recognized:
Recognized service is a project in UL service, and the identified products can only be used as components and raw materials on UL listed, graded or other recognized products. Approved products are not structurally complete, or have certain limitations in use to ensure the expected safety performance. Tracking services for approved products fall under the R category in most cases. Approved products belonging to category L are electronic wire (AVLV2), processing wire (ZKLU2), wire harness (ZPFW2), aluminum wire (DVVR2), and metal flexible tube (DXUZ2). Approved products are required to carry the approval mark.
3. Classification:
The classification service only evaluates the specific hazards of the product, or evaluates the products that implement other standards than UL standards (including internationally recognized standards, such as IEC and ISO standards, etc.). In general most graded products are not for consumer use, but for industrial or commercial use. The grading mark in the UL mark indicates that the product has certain restrictions and regulations when it is identified by UL. For example, chemicals such as industrial solvents are evaluated only in the range where fire may occur when the temperature reaches the ignition temperature. The grading service and listing service of some products are the same, but generally only one or several aspects of the product are evaluated. For example, in the United States, equipment such as medical X-ray diagnostic equipment must comply with US laws and related radiation emissions and beams. However, because UL only regards X-ray as a graded product, it only evaluates its mechanical properties, electrical properties and other non-radiative properties.
Applicable product scope
Electrical, mechanical or electromechanical products
Any electrical, mechanical or electromechanical product with the UL mark indicates that the product has met the minimum requirements of the generally recognized US and Canadian product safety standards, it has been tested to meet the relevant product safety standards, and it also represents the production plant. Agree to receive strict regular inspections to ensure the consistency of product quality, and can be sold to the US and Canada markets.
application process
1. The applicant submits relevant company and product information
Written application: You should request UL in writing to test your company's products. Company Information: Provide the detailed and accurate name, address, contact person, zip code, telephone and fax of the following units in both Chinese and English.
(1) Application company: the company that applies for product testing and is responsible for all engineering service costs
(2) Listed companies: companies whose names are listed in various product catalogs published by UL
(3) Production plants: manufacturers and producers of products.
Product Information: Product information should be provided in English. First determine whether your product falls within the scope of UL testing,
(1) Name of the product: 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 components and models (classification numbers), rated values, and manufacturers that make up the product in detail. For insulating materials, please provide the raw material name, eg: GE Polycarbonate, Lexan Type 104. When a component has been certified or recognized by UL, please prove the specific model of the component and indicate its UL file number.
(5) Electrical properties: for electronic and electrical products. Provide electrical schematic diagram (circuit diagram), electrical performance table.
(6) Structure diagram: For most products, the structure diagram or exploded diagram, ingredient list, etc. of the product should be provided.
(7) Product photos, instructions for use, safety and other items or installation instructions.
2. People make decisions based on the product information provided.
When the product information is complete, UL engineers make the following decisions based on the information: UL standards based on the experiment, engineering costs for testing, testing time, number of samples, etc., and notify in writing. You, and send the official application form and tracking service agreement to your company. The fee limit is indicated in the application form, which is the maximum engineering cost estimated by UL according to the testing project. Without the written authorization of your company, the fee limit cannot be exceeded.
3. The application company remits and sends back the application form and sample
UL certification. The applicant signs the application form and the tracking service agreement, and sends the form back to UL. At the same time, through bank remittance, at the post office or by express mail Please give appropriate descriptions (such as name, model) to the samples sent for inspection. Please send the application form and samples separately. For each application project, UL will assign a unique project number (Project No.) to indicate the project number and the name of the applicant company when remittances, samples and application forms are sent, so as to facilitate UL's inspection.
4. After receiving the application form, remittance and experimental samples signed by your company, UL will notify you when the experimental plan will be completed. Product testing is generally carried out in UL laboratories in the United States, and 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 a follow-up service procedure (Follow Up Service Procedure). The test report will detail the test situation, the indicators achieved by the sample, the product structure and the safety signs suitable for the use of the product. A description of the product and instructions for UL area inspectors are included in the tracking service specification. 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
to contact the production factory for the first factory inspection (Initial Production Inspection. IPI) in the UL area of China with the UL mark, and the inspector will check the storage of your products and their parts in the production line and warehouse, to confirm whether the product structure and parts are consistent with the tracking service rules. If required in the rules, the regional inspector will also conduct witness experiments. When the inspection results meet the requirements, the applicant is authorized to use the UL mark.
The necessity for UL
Products sold in the U.S. market require voluntary UL certification if otherwise specified by laws or regulations. Whether they are products in the U.S. or products exported to other countries, UL certification testing is recommended. We can see many electronic products in the market. All products have the UL certification mark, which is the conduction and radiation test of the product, which is of great significance in the American market. UL certification is an important passport and pass in the American market. Only products with this mark can enter smoothly to the US market.
