UL certification

UL is a shorthand for Underwriter Laboratories Inc. The UL Safety Laboratory is the most authoritative in the United States and the largest private institution in the world for safety testing and identification. It is an independent, non-profit, professional organization that tests for public safety. It uses scientific testing methods to determine the extent to which various materials, devices, products, equipment, buildings, etc. are hazardous or hazardous to life and property; to determine, prepare, and issue appropriate standards and to help reduce and prevent life. The property is subject to loss of information, and at the same time conducts fact-finding business.

Introduction to UL

UL is principally engaged in product safety certification and business safety certification business. Its ultimate goal is to obtain products of a fairly safe level for the market and contribute to the protection of personal health and property safety. Regarding product safety certification as an effective means of eliminating technical barriers to international trade, UL also plays an active role in promoting the development of international trade.

UL was founded in 1894. In the initial stage, UL mainly relied on the fire insurance department to provide funds to maintain its actions. Until 1916, UL was completely independent. After nearly a hundred years of development, UL has become a world-renowned certification body with a complete set of strict organizational management system, standard development and product certification procedures. UL is managed by a board of directors with security experts, government officials, consumers, education, utilities, insurance, and standards. The day-to-day work is handled by the president and vice president. Currently, UL has five laboratories in the United States, headquartered in Northbrook, north of Chicago, and has established laboratories in Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the United States, UL is a symbol of safety for consumers. Globally, UL is one of the most trusted providers of qualified assessments for manufacturers.

Introduction to the UL logo

UL logo style

The UL Mark is usually identified on the product and/or product packaging to indicate that the product has passed UL certification and meets safety standards.

composition

The most important component of these marks is the UL pattern symbol, which is a registered trademark of UL.

UL mark use requirements

1. The minimum height of the registered trademark should be 3/64 inches.

2. When the outer diameter of the UL mark is less than 3/8 inch, the registered trademark symbol can be ignored if it is not clearly readable under naked eyes.

3. Marking can be directly and fixed on a constant product by stamping, molding, ink printing, screen printing or the like.

4. Obtaining the mark: The manufacturer can reprint or obtain it from a UL authorized dealer.

5.ULus logo (only us, no c): safety signs for products entering the US market; cUL (only c, no us): safety signs for products entering the Canadian market; cULus logo: safety signs for products entering the US market and the Canadian market

service items

UL's product certification and testing services are mainly classified into listing, recognition and grading.

1. List name (LISTED):

In general, the listings are only applicable to the complete product and the various devices and devices that are qualified for replacement or installation in the field. The various products belonging to the UL listing service include: household appliances, medical equipment, computers, commercial equipment. And various electrical products that work in buildings, such as power distribution systems, fuses, wires, switches, and other electrical components. UL listed products can usually be marked with a UL listing mark on each product. The use of the listing symbol.

2. Recognized (Recognized):

The accreditation service is a project in the UL service, and the products it identifies can only be used as components and raw materials in UL listing, grading or other recognized products. The approved product is not structurally complete or has certain limitations in its use to ensure the expected safety performance. In most cases, the tracking service for approved products falls into the R category. Approved products belonging to Class L are electronic wire (AVLV2), machined wire (ZKLU2), wire harness (ZPFW2), aluminum wire (DVVR2), and metal flexible pipe (DXUZ2). Approved product requirements are marked with an approval.

3. Classification:

The grading service evaluates only the specific hazards of the product, or evaluates products that implement standards other than UL standards, including internationally recognized standards such as IEC and ISO standards. In general, most graded products are not products used by consumers, but products used industrially or commercially. The grading mark in the UL Mark indicates that the product has certain restrictions and specified ranges when it is UL-approved. For example, a chemical such as a solvent used in the industry only evaluates the range of fires that may occur when the ignition temperature is reached. Some products have the same grading service and listing service, but generally only evaluate one aspect or several aspects of the product. For example, in the United States, medical X-ray diagnostic equipment must comply with US laws and related radiation emissions and beams. Flow accuracy is specified, but since UL only uses X-rays as a graded product, only its mechanical, electrical, and other non-radiative properties are evaluated.

4. Multiple listing, multiple recognition or multiple rating services:

When a UL applicant obtains the above listed, approved or tiered services, its products are to be produced under the name of another company to meet the needs of the sale. You can apply for multiple listings, multiple approvals or multiple grading services. In this case, the manufacturer who is listed, approved or graded is allowed to use the name of another company in the product list, but the product must be identical to the original code, product code or other features that UL considers acceptable. The listed, approved or graded products are consistent.

5. "AL" listing, accreditation or grading services

If a UL applicant does not want to obtain a listing, accreditation or grading service in the name of his company, he may apply for a listing, recognition or grading in the name of another firm (usually a retailer or wholesaler), ie the "AL" column Name, accreditation or grading services. It differs from multiple listings, multiple recognitions, or multiple rating services in that the applicant is not a listed person.

6. System Certification Service:

As a member of the International Accreditation Committee, UL is widely involved in ISO9000 quality system certification, ISO14000 environmental protection certification, QS9000 automotive industry quality system certification and AS9000 aircraft industry quality system certification services. A total of 116 factories in China have obtained UL system certification; 21 of them are ISO9001 certification, 85 are ISO9002 certification, 1 is ISO14001 certification, and 9 are QS9000 certification.

7. Other UL services:

Such as certification services, inspection services, factual judgment services, research services, etc.

Process

Product application for the UL Mark includes the following steps:

1. 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, zip codes, telephone numbers and faxes in the following units in both Chinese and English.

(a). Application company: A company that submits a product testing application and is responsible for all engineering service fees.

(b). Listed companies: companies whose names are listed in various product catalogues published by UL

(c) Production plant: The manufacturer and producer of the product.

Product Information: Product information should be provided in English.

(a). Name of the product: Provide the full name of the product.

(b). Product model: List all the product models, varieties or classification numbers that need to be tested.

(c). The intended use of the product: for example: home, office, factory, coal mine, ship, etc.

(d). Parts list: List the parts and models (classification numbers), the rating, and the name of the manufacturer that make up the product. For insulating materials, please provide the name of the raw material, 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 (e). Electrical performance: For electronic and electrical products. Provide electrical schematic (circuit diagram), electrical performance table.

(f). Structure diagram: For most products, it is necessary to provide structural drawings or explosion diagrams, ingredient lists, etc. of the product.

(g). Photographs of the product, instructions for use, safety, etc. or installation instructions.

2. Make a decision based on the product information provided

When the product information is complete, UL engineers make the following decisions based on the information: the UL standard on which the experiment is based, the engineering cost of the test, the time of the test, the number of samples, etc., notify you in writing, and the formal application form and tracking service The agreement is sent to your company. The fee limit is stated in the application form and is the maximum project cost estimated by UL according to the test items. The fee limit cannot be exceeded without the written authorization of your company.

3. Apply for company remittance, return application form and sample

The applicant signs the application form and the tracking service agreement, and sends the form back to the UL company. At the same time, the sample is sent by post at the post office or by express mail. Please provide appropriate instructions for the sample to be submitted (eg Name, model). Application forms and samples should be sent separately. For each application, UL will specify a unique project number (Project No.) to indicate the project number and application company name when remittance, sample and application form, in order to facilitate UL inspection.

4. Product testing

Upon receipt of the application form, remittance, and experimental samples signed by your company, UL will notify you of the time of completion of the experimental plan. Product testing is generally performed in UL laboratories in the United States, and UL can also accept audited participation in third-party testing data. The experimental samples will be returned or destroyed according to your requirements.

If the product test results meet the requirements of the UL standard, UL will issue a test report and follow-up service (FollowUp Service Procedure) test report will detail the test situation, the sample reached the index, the product structure and the safety signs suitable for the use of the product. A description of the product and instructions for the UL Regional Inspector are included in the Tracking Service Rules. 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 facility.

5. Applicant is authorized to use the UL Mark

The UL Regional Inspector in China contacts the production facility for the Initial Production Inspection (IPI). The inspector checks the condition of your products and their parts in the production line and warehouse inventory to confirm the product structure and parts. The tracking service rules are consistent. If required by the rules, the regional inspector will also conduct a witness test. When the inspection result meets the requirements, the applicant is authorized to use the UL mark.

After the IPI, the inspectors will go to the factory to check the product structure and conduct the sighting test from time to time. The frequency of inspection is determined by the type of product and the quantity of production. Most types of products are inspected at least four times a year. The inspectors are inspecting Ensure that the product continues to be consistent with UL requirements. Please notify UL before you plan to change the product structure or components. For minor changes, you do not need to repeat any experiments. UL can quickly modify the tracking service rules so that inspectors can accept This change. When UL believes that a product change affects its safety performance, it is necessary to apply for a company to resubmit the sample for necessary testing.

The cost of tracking the service is not included in the test fee.

If the product test results do not meet the UL standard requirements, UL will notify the applicant to explain the problems. After the applicant improves the product design, the product can be re-inspected. You should tell the UL engineer what improvements have been made to the product so that it can decide It is the step to apply for UL certification.

Inspection rules

Overview

The UL inspector's inspection is basically a mechanical operation. Depending on the product, the inspector's inspection is based on Bulletin, Procedure, FUII (if included, included in the Bye-Law) and UL Standard (if requested in FUII).

If the inspector visits the factory and the factory is producing UL products, or stocked UL products, the inspector will sample the samples in one of the following ways:

1. Extract each part from the production line plus a complete product extracted from the warehouse.

2. Extract individual parts from the warehouse plus complete products on the production line.

3. Extract the complete product from the warehouse for splitting.

The exact number of samples is determined by the rules, FUII (Tracking Inspection Instructions), SAP (Standard Attachment) or direct orders from the UL Laboratory. Inspectors do not necessarily inspect all products at each inspection, but they will try to inspect all product categories or models within one year or at least two years.

Generally speaking, UL's requirements for the factory production system are not too high. It is only required to measure the equipment once a year, save the factory's own inspection records, and have certain control measures for the non-conforming products.

At the time of inspection, the on-site representative (UL inspector) will focus on the product itself, and they will check the structure, components and assembly of the product one by one according to the above inspection basis. For parts related to product safety, the general rules specify the requirements for UL-certified products, and will indicate the manufacturer and model; for shells, shields and other injection molded parts, the general rules will specify the raw materials and size requirements. The on-site representative will check the UL mark as specified in the above items and rules.

testing on the spot

In addition, if the specification or FUII or standard requires on-site testing of the product, the site representative will ask the factory inspector to do the corresponding tests, while the on-site representative will witness it. If the rules also require the sample to be sent to UL for tracking test, the factory shall cooperate with the inspector to produce the corresponding sample. After the inspector writes the sample label, provides the address and seals the sample, the factory sends it to the corresponding UL laboratory.

If the products produced by the factory fully comply with the requirements of the corresponding UL inspection standards and there is no other violation of the tracking service agreement, the inspector will issue an inspection report (Inspection Report); the factory representative should report on the report after confirming that the content is correct. Signature; one test is completed. If there is a non-compliance with the inspection standard during the inspection, the inspector will issue a Variation Notice and take appropriate measures according to the specific circumstances.

Remove UL mark

In the case of unauthorized use of the UL mark, the inspector will request removal of the UL mark; for products that do not meet UL requirements, the inspector will require the factory to remove the UL mark or rework to meet the requirements; if the factory disagrees with the above treatment, then Temporarily retain the UL mark, but must stop the shipment, the inspector will inform the appropriate laboratory, the UL will reply to decide whether the UL mark can be retained; if there are only some minor problems, it does not affect the safety of the product, The inspector will make a temporary acceptance