UL was founded in 1894, the initial stage of the UL main fire insurance department to provide funds to maintain the action, until 1916, UL is completely self-supporting. After nearly a century of development, UL has become a world-renowned certification body, its own has a set of strict organizational management system, standards development and product certification procedures. UL by a safety experts, government officials, consumers, education, utilities, insurance industry and standards department representatives of the Council management, day-to-day work by the president, vice president of the handling. Currently, UL has five laboratories on U.S. soil, headquartered in the town of Northbrook, north of Chicago, as well as corresponding laboratories in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
UL Marks and Uses
The use of UL's Listing, Classification, and Recognition Marks on or in connection with a product is the only method designated by UL to distinguish products manufactured under UL's Follow-Up Inspection Service. The presence of a company's name in UL's catalog does not mean that all of the company's products are UL listed, classified, or recognized; only those products bearing the UL Mark are considered to have been manufactured under the UL Tracking and Inspection Service.
For UL's different types of services, the UL Mark can be divided into three categories, respectively, listing, classification and recognition of the mark, the most important part of these marks is UL's pattern of symbols, these symbols are UL's registered trademarks. The three symbols are used in three different services on the product, can not be mixed, otherwise it can be considered a counterfeit product. Due to the classification mark is relatively rare in our country, so the following is only listed and recognized two marks. UL's services are not only based on the U.S. UL standard, but also based on the Canadian standard (C-UL), which is also divided into the UL mark for UL products and C-UL products, as well as both meet the three kinds of
Note: Before January 2008, for the same time for UL and C-UL listed or recognized products, can be added at the same time. or recognized, both UL and C-UL markings could be applied, but by 2008, the markings in the third column of the table above must be used.
The Inspection Specification describes which mark you are authorized to use and where it should be attached to the product. This symbol may be used only if the manufacturer complies with the provisions of the "Specifications" and the terms of the "Tracking and Inspection Service Agreement". (Paragraph 2) The UL Mark may not be used in any manner on the product or packaging unless you have obtained permission from the Inspection Regulations. (Paragraph 3).
If your product is under the service of UL and complies with UL's requirements, UL permits you to refer to the UL Mark and the U name in your promotional or publicity advertising, provided that such references do not create a false impression to the general public. A simple reference that the product is "Listed By UL" or "Recognized By UL" or a drawing of the UL Mark is appropriate, depending on the type of service to which it belongs; the words you use to identify the product should be consistent with the words in the Test Specification. The wording of the product symbols you use should be consistent with the statements in the Inspection Specification. When your product is classified as a service by UL, references to UL in your advertisements must be quoted in their entirety from the Classification Mark, as stated in the Inspection Instructions. Because UL may require you to change inappropriate areas of your advertising or promotion, it is a good idea to contact your UL inspection representative in advance to inform him of the manner in which you intend to refer to the UL logo or name. This will avoid misunderstandings and the wasteful withdrawal of publicity and promotional advertisements if UL deems the advertisement to be inappropriate. (Paragraph 4).
UL's Services
The types of UL's product certification and testing services can be categorized primarily into listing, recognition and classification.
1) Listing (LISTED): Generally speaking, listing applies only to complete products and qualified personnel in the field to replace or install a variety of devices and installations, belonging to the UL listing services for a variety of products, including: household electrical appliances, medical equipment, computers, commercial equipment, as well as in the role of the building of the various types of electrical products such as power distribution systems, fuses, wires, switches and other electrical components. other electrical components. UL-listed products can usually be marked with the UL Listing Mark on each product. Usage of the Listing Mark.
2) Recognition (Recognized): Recognition service is UL services in a project, the identification of products can only be UL listed, graded or other recognized products as components, raw materials. Recognized products in the structure is not complete, or in the use of certain restrictions to ensure that the expected safety performance. In most cases, the tracking of Recognized Products falls into Category R. Approved products that fall into category L are electronic wire (AVLV2), processed wire (ZKLU2), wire harnesses (ZPFW2), aluminum wire (DVVR2), and metal flex tubing (DXUZ2). Approved products are required to bear the approval mark.
3) Classification: Classification services evaluate products for specific hazards only, or for products that implement standards other than UL standards, including internationally recognized standards such as IEC and ISO standards. Generally speaking, most of the graded products are not consumer products, but industrial or commercial use of the product. UL mark in the classification mark indicates that the product in the UL identification of certain limitations and regulations of the scope. For example, chemicals such as solvents used in industry are evaluated only to the extent that they are likely to catch fire when they reach their ignition temperatures. Certain product classification services and listing services, but generally only a certain aspect of the product or a number of aspects of the evaluation, such as in the United States, medical X-ray diagnostic equipment to comply with U.S. laws and regulations relating to radiation emission and beam accuracy, but because UL only X-ray as a classification of products, so only the evaluation of its mechanical properties, electrical properties, and other non-radiation properties of these aspects.
4) Multiple Listing, Multiple Recognition or Multiple Classification Service: When a UL applicant, after obtaining the listing, recognition or classification service mentioned above, has a product to be manufactured under the name of another company to satisfy the need for sales, it may apply for Multiple Listing, Multiple Recognition or Multiple Classification Service, in which case the manufacturer who receives the listing, recognition or classification is permitted to use the name of the other company in the product directory, but the product is classified under the name of the other company. In such cases, the listed, recognized or classified manufacturer is permitted to use the name of another company on the product list, provided that the product is identical to the original listed, recognized or classified product except for the company designator, product designator, or other characteristics deemed acceptable by UL.
5) "AL" listing, recognition or classification services: If the UL applicant does not want to use his own company's name to obtain listing, recognition or classification services, he can apply for another trade name (usually retailers or wholesalers) in the name of the application for listing, recognition or classification, which is called "AL" listing, recognition or classification services. The difference between this and a multiple listing, multiple endorsement or multiple grading service is that the applicant is not a listed person.
6) system certification services: 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. So far, 116 factories in China*** have obtained UL's 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. Not to be introduced here.
Testing at UL
Once UL has all the data you can provide, UL can decide which department will test the product.UL's engineering department will:
. Develop a test plan ,
. Provide an estimate of the cost of testing,
. Provide an approximate end time for the test
. Send the application form
At this point, if you have any deadlines, you should notify UL so that it can take them into account when scheduling the test. Once you have returned the application with the appropriate advance payment, and UL's engineers have received the appropriate test samples, UL engineers can begin to actually test your product.
Once the product testing is complete, your project engineer will notify you if the product meets UL's requirements. For products that meet UL requirements, the project engineer will prepare a formal report based on the test data. The test data will also be used for tracking purposes and as the basis for the tracking specifications.
The Tracking Service Specification is a document that describes in detail the structure of the product that has been tested by UL for compliance with UL requirements, and is used by UL's field representatives as a guide to perform periodic UL product inspections at the factory.
Before a UL engineer can send you a test report, you must agree to participate in UL's Follow-Up Service Program. You must indicate your participation in this program by signing and returning the Follow-Up Inspection Report. Usually, this document is mailed a few days after the application form is sent.
If for any reason your product does not meet UL's requirements, UL will notify you of the noncompliance. If you choose to change your product and are willing to repeat the testing, you may contact the engineer responsible for your project to have the necessary items retested.
If you have a question about a test result, your understanding of a requirement, or UL's decision, UL's appeals process allows you to have your opinion heard by UL's governing body without fear of jeopardizing your relationship with UL.
UL's Follow-Up Service
As an integral part of UL's certification, in order to ensure that UL's listed and recognized products continue to comply with UL's standards and requirements, UL has developed a "Follow-Up Inspection" system. Tracking inspection" is sent by the UL field representatives around the world to the local production site of the factory UL products for tracking inspection. Its purpose is through the factory's production process, inspection process and products, against the UL standards and tracking inspection rules for verification, to ensure that the manufacturer's production process, inspection process and products are always in line with UL's requirements.
In order to ensure that UL's "tracking inspection" system implementation, UL and the manufacturer has signed a "tracking inspection agreement", according to "tracking inspection agreement Under the terms of the "Follow-Up Agreement", a field representative will inspect the factory on a regular basis and without prior notice, and the factory may not unreasonably withhold inspection from the field representative.
The on-site representative will conduct inspections at the factory in accordance with the Tracking and Inspection Rules. "Follow-up inspection details" is by the UL Engineering Department, in the samples submitted for inspection after the preparation of the test, this document includes a comprehensive description of the product, including photographs,] manuals, etc. It also specifies the manufacturing plant during production. It also specifies the various tests that the manufacturing plant often does during production, some of which require 100% of the product to be tested, such as the withstand voltage test. Certain tests may be carried out on a sample basis, and it also specifies the tests that must be sampled by the site representative during on-site inspections at the factory. Field representatives according to the details of such tests and regulations to determine whether the test results are qualified. UL's follow-up inspection is categorized into Class R and Class L. Class L services are mainly used for products related to life safety, such as fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, fire doors and some products with considerable production volume, such as electrical equipment, wires and circuit breakers. For products belonging to Class L, manufacturers must order labels directly from UL to be affixed to the product.Class R services are mainly used for electrical equipment, such as fans, televisions, hair dryers, ovens and other products that are usually produced with the appropriate assembly line
UL inspector's inspection is basically a mechanical operation. Depending on the product, the inspector's inspection is based on the Bulletin, Procedure, FUII (if any, included in the Procedure) and UL Standards (if required by FUII).
If the factory is producing UL product or has UL product in stock when the inspector visits the factory, the inspector will take samples in one of the following ways:
Parts from the production line plus a complete product from the warehouse.
Parts from the warehouse plus a complete product from the production line.
Drawing complete products from the warehouse for splitting.
The exact number of samples taken is determined by a rule, FUII (Follow-Up Inspection Instruction), SAP (Standard Attachment Sheet), or a direct order from UL Laboratories. Inspectors do not necessarily inspect all products at each inspection, but they do try to inspect all product categories or models within a year or at least two years. Generally speaking, UL is not too high on the factory production system requirements, only requires the instrumentation once a year to measure, keep the factory's own inspection records, as well as on the nonconforming products have a certain means of control can be.
Inspection, the field representative (UL inspector) will focus on the product itself, they will be based on the above test basis for each check the structure of the product, components and assembly. For parts and components related to product safety, the general rules will specify the requirements for UL certified products, and will indicate the manufacturer and model; for the shell, shroud and other injection molded parts, in general, the rules will specify the raw materials and size requirements. The field representative will check the above items as well as the UL marking specified in the rules.
Additionally, if the rules or FUII or the standard requires on-site testing of the product, the field representative will ask the factory inspector to do the appropriate tests, and the field representative will be witnessed. If the rules also require that samples be sent to UL for follow-up testing, the factory should cooperate with the inspector to produce the appropriate samples, written by the inspector sample labels, provide the address and seal the samples, sent by the factory to the appropriate UL laboratory.
If the factory produces products in full compliance with the requirements of the corresponding UL inspection standards, there is no other violation of the tracking service agreement, the inspector will issue a tracking inspection report (Inspection Report); factory representatives in the confirmation of the accuracy of its content should be signed on the report; an inspection is completed. If the inspection process does not meet the inspection standards, the inspector will issue a change notice (Variation Notice), and take appropriate measures according to the specific circumstances.
For unauthorized use of UL marking of the product, the inspector will require the removal of UL marking; for products that do not meet the requirements of UL, the inspector will be required to remove the UL marking of the factory or rework to make it comply with the requirements; if the factory does not agree with the above views on the handling, it can be retained UL marking, but must stop shipments, the inspector will notify the appropriate laboratory by the UL to respond to the situation Decide whether the UL mark can be retained; if there are only minor problems that do not affect the safety of the product, the inspector will make a temporary acceptance of the decision and report to the appropriate laboratory; if it is some obvious standard errors, such as typing errors or unit errors, it does not affect the factory's product qualification, but as a UL document processing, the inspector will also be issued by the notice of change. In general, unless UL's responsibility, the inspector will require the factory to non-conformity of the explanation to the appropriate laboratory, UL will be based on your interpretation of the appropriate response.
Of course, the inspector's judgment is only provisional, the final decision is, of course, in the UL laboratories. If the factory does not agree with the practice of inspection, it is entirely possible to reflect to the appropriate laboratory, at this time, the inspector is obliged to provide the appropriate contact person and contact method. In the confirmation of the contents of the notice of change recorded in the correct, factory representatives should sign the notice.