UL is the abbreviation of Underwriteries Laboratories Inc. The UL Safety Testing Institute is the most authoritative in the United States and the largest private organization engaged in safety testing and appraisal in the world. It is an independent, non-profit, professional organization that conducts experiments for public safety. It uses scientific testing methods to study and determine whether various materials, devices, products, equipment, buildings, etc. are harmful to life and property and the degree of harm; to determine, compile and issue corresponding standards and help reduce and prevent life Data on property losses, while conducting fact-finding research business. UL certification is a non-compulsory certification in the United States, mainly for product safety performance testing and certification, and its certification scope does not include the EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) characteristics of the product.
In short, it is mainly engaged in product safety certification and operating safety certification business, and its ultimate goal is to obtain products with a fairly safe standard for the market, and to contribute to the guarantee of personal health and property safety. In terms of product safety certification as an effective means to eliminate technical barriers to international trade, UL also plays an active role in promoting the development of international trade.
UL was established in 1894 as a non-profit product safety testing and certification organization. There are more than 50 laboratories around the world with approximately 6000 employees. Thousands of products pass UL certification and use the UL logo each year. There are currently more than 800 sets of UL standards, of which 75% are adopted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI: American National Standard Institute).
Currently, UL has five laboratories in the United States, headquartered in Northbrook Town, north of Chicago, and established corresponding laboratories in Taiwan and Hong Kong. There are three types of UL safety certifications: recognition, listing, classification, and the three ways of marking are different.
1. UL listing service is the most well-known service in UL safety certification. The UL listed mark on the product means that the manufacturer allowed UL to test the sample according to the safety standards recognized by the United States. Under reasonable and foreseeable circumstances, the sample will not cause fire, leakage and related hazards.
2. Approved component service is to test parts or non-finished products, and these components will be used in UL listed products. UL's approved component services cover millions of plastics, wires and circuit boards, as well as various finished products, or even larger components such as motorcycles or power supplies.
3. UL graded products are tested according to different properties, designated danger ranges, or specific conditions. Generally speaking, most of the graded products are building materials or industrial instruments. Graded products include industrial or commercial products, which have specified properties during testing, including flammability, hazardous performance or special specifications required by the government.
Information to be submitted for UL certification
1. Company name and address;
2. Instructions for use, including product description, detailed usage introduction, electrical ratings, etc.;
3. The list of components and materials of the product, and the UL certification number (UL File No.) obtained;
3. Can illustrate diagrams of electrical or electronic circuits;
4. Materials or parts that may be replaced in the future.
UL certification process
A. The applicant submits relevant company and product information
Written application: The applicant should request UL company to test the company’s products in writing;
Company Information: Including the exact name, address, contact person, postal code, telephone and fax, etc. of the applicant company, listed company and production plant, the name of the product, the product model, and the intended use of the product
Parts list (BOM):
-List the parts and models, ratings, and manufacturer's name that make up the product in detail
-For insulating materials, please provide the name of the raw material, such as GE Polycarbonate, Lexan Type 104
-When the part has been approved by UL, please indicate the specific model and UL file number of the part
Electrical performance: For products in electronic appliances, electrical schematic diagrams (circuit diagrams) and electrical performance tables are required
Structure drawing: product structure drawing or exploded drawing, ingredient list, etc., and indicate the name and size of each part on the drawing
Other: product photos, instructions for use, safety matters or installation instructions, etc.
UL company makes a decision based on the product information provided
The UL standard that the experiment is based on
Engineering costs for testing
Test time
The number of samples, etc.
Apply for company remittance, return application form and samples
The applicant signs the application form and tracking service agreement and sends the form back to UL
Remittance, sample sending, application form and sample must be sent separately
For each application project, UL will designate a project number, which must be indicated in the remittance, sample delivery and application form, and the name of the company applying for it, so that UL can check it.
UL company inspects products
After UL receives the application form, remittance, and samples, it will reply to the customer’s expected completion time of the case
Product testing is generally carried out in UL laboratories in the United States;
The product test results meet the requirements of UL standards, and UL will issue a test report and follow-up service rules
If the test result does not meet the requirements of UL standards, UL will notify the applicant to explain the existing problems. After the applicant improves the product design, the product will be re-inspected
Re-inspection needs to tell UL engineers what improvements have been made to the product so that they can determine the required inspections. Generally, it is not necessary to repeat all inspections to reduce costs
Test report: details the test situation, the indicators reached by the sample, the product structure and the safety signs suitable for the use of the product, etc., and distribute it to the applicant company
Follow-up service rules: Including product descriptions and instructions for UL regional inspectors, distributed to the applicant company and each production plant
Factory inspection
UL regional inspectors contact the production plant for the first factory inspection (IPI: Initial Production Inspection)
Check the product and its parts in the production line and warehouse inventory to confirm whether the product structure and parts are consistent with the tracking service rules
When the inspection results meet the requirements, apply for authorization to use the UL mark
UL will also conduct irregular inspections of the factory every year, ranging from 1-4 times
If you plan to improve the product structure or components, you need to inform UL. For minor changes, there is no need to repeat any experiments. UL can quickly change the tracking service rules so that the inspector can accept this improvement.
When UL believes that the improvement affects the safety performance, it needs to apply for the company to resubmit samples for necessary testing
Kernel issued a certificate 2 weeks after the test passed
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