UL is the abbreviation of underwriter Laboratories Inc. UL safety testing institute is the most authoritative organization in the United States, and also a large non-governmental organization engaged in safety testing and identification in the world. It is an independent, non-profit professional organization that does 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; Determine, compile and issue corresponding standards and materials that help to reduce and prevent the loss of life and property, and carry out fact finding business at the same time.

UL introduction

UL is mainly engaged in product safety certification and operating safety certification business. Its ultimate purpose is to obtain goods with a fairly safe level for the market and make contributions to ensuring personal health and property safety. As far as product safety certification is an effective means to eliminate technical barriers to international trade, UL also plays a positive role in promoting the development of international trade.

UL was founded in 1894. At 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 organization and management system, standard development and product certification procedures. UL is managed by a Council composed of safety experts, government officials, consumers, education, utilities, insurance and standards departments, and its daily work is handled by the president and vice president. At present, UL has five laboratories in the United States, headquartered in Northbrook Town, north of Chicago, and corresponding laboratories in Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the United States, UL is the symbol of safety signs for consumers. Globally, UL is one of the most reliable conformity assessment providers for manufacturers.

UL Mark is usually marked on the product and / or product package to indicate that the product has passed UL certification and meets the requirements of safety standards.

form

The most important component of these marks is UL's pictorial symbols, which are registered trademarks of UL.

UL Mark usage requirements

1. The minimum height of the registered trademark shall be 3/64 inch.

2. When the outer circle diameter of 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. The mark can be directly and fixed on the same product by stamping, molding, ink printing, screen printing or similar methods.

4. Acquisition of logo: the manufacturer can reprint or obtain it from UL authorized dealers.

5. Ulus sign (only us, no c): safety sign for products entering the U.S. market; Cul (only C, no US): safety signs for products entering the Canadian market; CULus mark: safety mark for products entering the U.S. market and Canadian market

Service Items

UL's product certification and testing services can be divided into listing, recognition and classification.

1. Listed:

Generally speaking, the listing is only applicable to complete products and various devices and devices that are replaced or installed by qualified personnel on site. Various products belonging to UL listing services include household appliances, medical equipment, computers, commercial equipment and various electrical products that play a role in buildings, such as distribution systems, fuses, wires, switches and other electrical components. Products listed by UL can usually be marked with the listing mark of UL on each product. Usage of column name flags.

2. Recognized:

Accreditation service is an item of UL service, and the products identified can only be used as components and raw materials on UL Listed, graded or other approved products. The approved product is not complete in structure, or there are certain restrictions in use to ensure the expected safety performance. In most cases, the tracking service of approved products belongs to category R. Approved products belonging to class L include electronic wire (avlv2), processed wire (zklu2), harness (zpfw2), aluminum wire (dvvr2), and metal flexible pipe (dxuz2). Approved products are required to have approval marks.

3. Classification:

The classification service only evaluates the specific hazards of products, or evaluates products that implement other standards other than UL standards (including internationally recognized standards, such as IEC and ISO standards). Generally speaking, most graded products are not products used by consumers, but products used in industry or commerce. The classification mark in UL Mark indicates that the product has certain restrictions and specified scope when it is identified by UL. For example, for chemicals such as solvents used in industry, only the range of fires that may occur when they reach the ignition temperature is evaluated. The classification service of some products is the same as the listing service, but generally it only evaluates one or several aspects of the product. For example, in the United States, medical X-ray diagnostic equipment and other equipment should comply with the laws of the United States and the regulations on radiation emission and beam accuracy. However, because UL only regards X-ray as a classified product, it only evaluates its mechanical performance, electrical performance and other non radiation performance.

4. Multi listing, multi recognition or multi classification services:

When an UL applicant obtains the above listing, recognition or classification services, and its products are to be produced in the name of another company to meet the needs of sales, it can apply for multiple listing, multiple recognition or multiple classification services. In this case, the manufacturer who has obtained the listing, recognition or classification is allowed to use the name of another company in the product directory, but the product is in addition to the company code, Except for the product code or other features that UL considers acceptable, it must be consistent with the original listed, approved or graded products.

5. "Al" listing, recognition or classification services

If the UL applicant does not want to obtain listing, recognition or classification services in the name of his company, he can apply for listing, recognition or classification services in the name of another firm (usually a retailer or wholesaler), that is, "Al". The difference between it and multiple listing, multiple recognition or multiple classification services is that its 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. A total of 116 factories in China have obtained UL system certification; Among them, 21 are ISO9001 certified, 85 are ISO9002 certified, 1 is ISO14001 certified, and 9 are QS9000 certified.

7. Other services of UL:

Such as certification service, inspection service, truth judgment service, research service, etc.

Applying for UL Mark of products includes the following steps:

1. The applicant submits relevant company and product information

Written application: you should ask UL company to test your products in writing.

Company information: provide the detailed and accurate name, address, contact person, postal code, telephone and fax of the following units in Chinese and English.

(a) Applicant company: the company that applies for product testing and is responsible for all engineering service fees

(b) Listed companies: companies listed in various product catalogs published by UL

(c) Production factory: the manufacturer and producer of products.

Product information: product information should be provided in English.

(a) . Product Name: provide the full name of the product.

(b) Product model: list in detail the model, variety or classification number of all products 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 in detail the components and parts of the product, their model (classification number), rated value, and the name of the manufacturer. For insulating materials, please provide the name of raw materials, such as GE polycarbonate, Lexan type 104. When the parts have obtained UL certification or approval, please prove the specific model of the parts and indicate its UL file number (E). Electrical performance: for electronic and electrical products. Provide electrical schematic diagram (circuit diagram) and electrical performance table.

(f) Structure diagram: for most products, it is necessary to provide the structure diagram or explosion diagram, ingredient list, etc.

(g) . photos, instructions, safety items or installation instructions of the product.

2. Make decisions based on the product information provided

When the product information is complete, UL engineers will 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 send the formal application form and tracking service agreement to your company. The expense limit indicated in the application form is the maximum engineering cost estimated by UL according to the test items. Without your written authorization, this expense limit cannot be exceeded.

3. The application company remits money and sends back the application form and samples

The applicant signs the application form and tracking service agreement, and sends the form back to UL company. At the same time, send the samples through bank remittance, post office or express mail. Please give appropriate instructions (such as name and model) to the samples sent for inspection. Please send the application form and samples separately. For each applied project, UL will specify a unique project number (Project No.) and indicate the project number and the name of the applicant company when remitting money, sending samples and application forms, so as to facilitate ul to check and receive.

4. Product testing

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

If the product test results meet the requirements of UL standards, UL will issue a test conformity report and follow up service procedure. The test report will detail the test conditions, the indicators reached by the samples, the product structure and the safety signs suitable for the product. The detailed tracking service rules include the description of the product and the instructions for UL regional inspectors. A copy of the test report is sent to the application company, and a copy of the tracking service rules is sent to each production factory.

5. The applicant is authorized to use the UL Mark

UL regional inspectors in China contact the production factory for initial production inspection (IPI). The inspectors 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 inspectors will also conduct witness experiments. When the inspection results meet the requirements, the applicant is authorized to use the UL Mark

After IPI, the inspector will irregularly go to the factory to inspect the product structure and conduct witness experiments. The frequency of inspection depends on the product type and production volume. Most types of products are inspected at least four times a year. The inspector's inspection is to ensure that the products continue to be consistent with UL requirements. Please inform UL before you plan to change the product structure or components. For minor changes, there is no need to repeat any experiments, UL can quickly modify the tracking service details so that inspectors can accept such changes. When UL believes that the change of the product affects its safety performance, the applicant company needs to resubmit the sample for necessary testing.

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

If the product test results cannot 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 can be re submitted for inspection. You should tell UL engineers what improvements the product has made so that they can decide that the above steps are the steps of applying for UL certification.