Introduction to UL certification in the United States
UL is mainly engaged in product safety certification and operating safety certification business. Its purpose is to obtain products with a relatively safe level for the market, and to contribute to the assurance 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 founded in 1894. In the initial stage, UL mainly relied on the funds provided by the fire insurance department to maintain its operations. It was not until 1916 that UL was completely independent. After nearly a hundred years of development, UL has become a world-renowned certification body with a set of strict organizational management systems, standard development and product certification procedures. UL is governed by a council of representatives from safety experts, government officials, consumers, education, utilities, insurance, and standards departments, with day-to-day operations handled by the president and vice president. UL has five laboratories in the United States, headquartered in Northbrook Town, north of Chicago, and has established corresponding laboratories in Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the United States, UL is a symbol of safety marks for consumers, and globally, UL is one of the most trusted conformity assessment providers for manufacturers. The UL mark is usually marked on the product and (or) product packaging to indicate that the product has passed the UL certification and meets the requirements of safety standards.
UL certification mark
The benefits of UL certification
1. The entire American market attaches great importance to product safety; consumers and purchasers will choose products with UL certification marks when purchasing products.
2. UL has a history of more than 100 years. The image of safety is deeply rooted in consumers and the government. If you do not sell products directly to consumers, middlemen will also require products to have UL certification marks to make the products popular.
3. American consumers and purchasing units have more confidence in the company's products.
4. The federal, state, county, and municipal governments in the United States have a total of more than 40,000 administrative districts, all of which recognize the UL certification mark.
UL certified product service
1. Listed (LISTED): [1] UL certification Generally speaking, listing is only applicable to complete products and various devices and devices that are replaced or installed on site by qualified personnel, which belong to various types of UL listing services. Products, including 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 UL's listing mark and the usage of the listing mark on each product.
2. Recognized: Recognized service is a project in UL service, and the products identified by it 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 products, or evaluates products that implement standards other 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.
4. Multiple listing, multiple accreditation or multiple grading services: When a UL applicant obtains the above-mentioned listing, accreditation or grading services, and its products are produced in the name of another company to meet the needs of sales, it can apply for Multiple Listing, Multiple Approval or Multiple Rating Service, in which case the manufacturer listed, approved or graded is permitted to use the name of another company in the product list, except that the product is listed in the company code, product code or Except for other characteristics deemed acceptable by UL, it must be consistent with the original listed, approved or graded product.
5. "AL" listing, accreditation or grading services: If a UL applicant does not want to obtain listing, accreditation or grading services in the name of his own company, he can apply for another business name (usually a retailer or wholesaler) An application for listing, accreditation or grading, an "AL" listing, accreditation or grading service. It differs from multiple listing, multiple recognition or multiple classification services in that the applicant is not a listed person.
6. System certification services: As a member of the International Accreditation Committee, UL has been extensively 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 certified, 85 are ISO9002 certified, 1 is ISO14001 certified, and 9 are QS9000 certified.
7. UL's other services: such as certification services, inspection services, factual judgment services, research services, etc.
Information required for UL certification
1. The applicant submits a written application for relevant company and product information: 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.
(a).Applicant company: the company that applies for product testing and is responsible for all engineering service costs
(b). Listed Companies: Companies whose names are listed in various product catalogs published by UL Corporation
(c). Production Plant: Manufacturers and producers of products.
2. 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 product models, varieties or classification numbers that need to be tested in detail.
(c). The intended use of the product: for example: home, office, factory, coal mine, ship, etc.
(d). Parts list: detail the components and models (classification numbers), rated values, and manufacturers that make up the product. 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 certify the specific model of the component and indicate its UL file number
(e). Electrical properties: for electrical and electronic products. Provide electrical schematic diagram (circuit diagram), electrical performance table.
(f). Structure diagram: For most products, the structure diagram or exploded diagram, ingredient list, etc. of the product should be provided.
(g). Photos of the product, instructions for use, safety, etc. or installation instructions.
3. Make a decision based on the product information provided When the product information is complete, UL engineers will make the following decisions based on the information: UL standards on which the experiment is based, engineering costs for testing, testing time , number of samples, etc., and notify you in writing , and send the formal application form and tracking service agreement to your company. The fee limit is indicated in the application form, which is the project cost estimated by UL according to the testing project. Without the written authorization of your company, the fee limit cannot be exceeded.
4. Apply for company remittance, send 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. 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 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.
5. After product testing receives 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 (FollowUp 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.
6. 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 using the UL mark. The inspector checks the condition of your products and their components 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. Following IPI, inspectors will visit the factory from time to time to check product structure and conduct witness experiments. The frequency of inspection is determined by product type and production volume. Most types of products are inspected at least four times a year. The inspection of the inspector is to Ensure that the product continues to be in compliance with UL requirements, please notify UL before you plan to change the product structure or components, for minor changes, no need to repeat any experiments, UL can quickly modify the tracking service details to make it acceptable to the inspector this change. When UL believes that the product changes affect its safety performance, the applicant company needs to resubmit samples for necessary testing.
7. If the test results of the product cannot meet the requirements of UL standards, UL will notify the applicant and explain the existing 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 be Decide that the above are the steps to apply for UL certification.
UL certified product range
Any electrical, mechanical or electromechanical product with the UL mark indicates that the product has met the requirements of the generally recognized US and Canadian product safety standards. It has been tested and complies with the relevant product safety standards, and it also represents the agreement of the production plant. Receive strict regular inspections to ensure the consistency of product quality, and can be sold to the US and Canada markets.
UL certification cycle
Usually 3-4 weeks, can be expedited, expedited need to pay extra