AND
Present:
Advantages of Understanding UL
Requirements
Polymer Resources
Quality and Technology Team
Phil Juzwick
Kevin Sheehan
Don McBournie
What is UL?
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is an
independent product safety certification organization.
Established in 1894, the company has its
headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois.
UL develops standards and test procedures for
products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and
equipment, chiefly dealing with product safety.
UL Mission Statement
(from www.ul.com)
Their mission: Working for a safer world since 1894
The following principles drive every decision made at UL:
Promoting safe living and working environments by the application of safety science and hazardbased safety engineering
Supporting the production and use of products which are physically and environmentally safe and to
apply our efforts to prevent or reduce loss of life and property
Advancing safety science through research and investigation
Concentrating our efforts and resources on public safety in those areas where we can make valuable
contributions
Working with integrity and a focus on quality to enhance the trust conveyed by our certification
marks and services
Charging fair prices that allow us to meet our obligations, sustain our growth, and invest in safety
science and education
Investing in our people and encourage our people to invest in themselves
Being a good example of corporate citizenship and social responsibility
UL Mission Statement
(from www.ul.com)
Global conformity
20 billion UL Marks appeared on products
66,149 manufacturers produced UL certified products
84,994 product evaluations were conducted by UL
570,088 follow-up services inspection visits were conducted by UL
19,597 types of products were evaluated by UL
120 UL inspection centers in service
102 countries with UL customers
1.5 billion consumers were reached by UL with safety messages in Asia, Europe and North
America
1,420 current standards for safety published by the UL family of companies (1,122 for UL;
298 for ULC)
68 laboratory, testing and certification facilities in the UL family of companies
6,921 employees in the UL family of companies ready to serve UL customers
UL Standards
Electrical Enclosures
Industrial Control Equipment
Boxes-Junction and Pull (BGUZ)
Auxiliary Devices (NKCR)
Cabinets and Cutout Boxes-Sheet Metal (CYIV)
Electromechanical
Industrial Control Panel Enclosures (NITW)
Solid State
Industrial Control Panels
Mechanical
Industrial Control Panels (NITW)
Electronic
Flame Control Panels
Combination Motor Controllers (NKJH)
Power Press Control Panels
Float and Pressure-Operated Switches (NKPZ)
High-Voltage Industrial Control Equipment
Magnetic Motor Controllers (NLDX)
Motor Controllers, Over 1500 V (NJHU)
Manual Motor Controllers (NLRV)
Motor Controller Accessories-Over 1500 V (NJIJ)
Motor Controllers-Miscellaneous (NMFT)
Medium Voltage Power Conversion Equipment (NJIC)
Miscellaneous Apparatus (NMTR)
Power Conversion Equipment
Switches, Industrial Control (NRNT)
Power Conversion Equipment (NMMS)
Programmable Controllers (NRAQ)
Locks for Safes
Proximity Switches (NRKH)
Mechanical Dial Combination Locks
(Group I and Group II)
Electronic Locks
Biometric Locks
Underwriters Laboratories
UL 94 – Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in
Devices and Appliances
UL 746A – Short Term Property Evaluations
UL 746B – Long Term Property Evaluations
UL 746C – Use in Electrical Equipment Evaluations
UL 746D – Fabricated Parts
UL 94
Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances
HB (Horizontal Burn, flame bar – 5”x 1/2”x tk)
V-0, V-1, V-2 (Vertical Burn, flame bar)
5-VA, 5-VB (Flame bars and 6”x6”x tk plaque)
HF-1, HF-2, HBF (Foamed Materials, 5”x2”x tk)
VTM-0, VTM-1, VTM-2 (Film or very thin)
Other (Radiant, Steiner, and Small Component –
specimens either too big or too small to use any other
classification)
UL 94
Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances
UL 94
Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances
UL 94
Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances
Material Classifications
Criteria
V-0
V-1
V-2
After burn time for each individual specimen t1 or t2
< 10 sec
< 30 sec
< 30 sec
Total burn time for set of 5 specimens t1 + t2
< 50 sec
< 250 sec
< 250 sec
Second burn time + "after glow" time t2 + t3
< 30 sec
< 60 sec
< 60 sec
Burn Up to the holding clamp for any specimen?
No
No
No
Cotton ignited by flaming particles or drops?
No
No
Yes
UL 94
Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances
5VA and 5VB
5 applications of 125mm flame
Both Vertical and Horizontal components
5VA: Less than 60 seconds Vertical Burn, and no
“Burn Through” with 6” x 6” plaque.
5VB: Less than 60 seconds Vertical Burn, but “Burn
through” with 6” x 6” plaque.
UL 746B
Long Term Property Evaluations
Relative Thermal Index (RTI)
Provides an indication of the ability of a material to
retain a property after exposure to an elevated
temperature for an extended period of time.
RTI ratings are given in Degrees C
Properties Relevant to RTI
There are three critical properties associated with
RTI
RTI
Electrical
Associated
RTI
with insulating properties
Mechanical Impact
Associated
with impact resistance, toughness, elongation and
flexibility
RTI
Mechanical Strength
Associated
with mechanical strength or structural integrity
Example of RTI Listing
Color
(X)
Min Thk
(mm)
1.5
3.0
RTI
Elec
125
125
RTI
Imp
110
110
RTI
Str
125
125
UL determines the RTI requirements for
a specific application.
Determination of RTI
A thermal aging program assigns RTI based upon
comparison with a material with an established RTI.
(Approximately 1 year to complete)
If a thermal aging program is not carried out, then a
“Generic” RTI is assigned based upon the chemical
structure of the material.
UL 746B
Assignment of Generic RTI
Generic Thermal Indices
Material
ISO Designation
Generic Thermal Index
(Deg C)
Polyamide
PA
65
Polycarbonate
PC
80
PC PBT alloy
PC PBT
75
Acrylonitrile-ButadieneStyrene
ABS
60
PC ABS alloy
PC ABS
60
Polybutylene
terephthalate
PBT
75
Polyetherimide
PEI
105
Polyphenylene Oxide
PPO
65
All materials not listed for a generic thermal index will receive a 50C rating
UL 746C
Use in Electrical Equipment Evaluations
Electrical
Electrical Insulation
Enclosures
Flammability
Mechanical
Permanence (weatherability – UV, f1 and f2)
UL f1 & f2
Outdoor suitability
A material that is considered suitable for outdoor use has gone
through ultraviolet (UV) light exposure for 720 hours of twinenclosed carbon or 1,000 hours of xenon-arc weatherometer
conditioning, and/or water exposure or immersion for the seven
days at 70 degrees C. The material is tested before and after
exposure for flammability, mechanical impact and mechanical
strength.
(f1) - indicates that the material has met both UV and water
exposure or immersion requirements as called out in UL 746C.
(f2) - indicates that the material has only met or has been tested
partially for UV or water exposure or immersion. (the material did
not perform well in either UV or water testing)
UL 746D
Fabricated Parts
This standard applies to parts that have been
molded or fabricated from polymeric material
Intent is to provide a quick verification of material
ID by marking on the part
The material ID program is intended to provide
traceability
UL 746D
Fabricated Parts
Additives
Colorants, FR’s, fillers, mold releases, color concentrates,
blowing agents cannot be used unless first tested and
verified
Exceptions
Mold release applied to the mold for V2 or better
Blowing agents so that finished part retains 95% of weight
Water based dyes to outside of part
Dry blended color concentrates
Dry blended FR
UL
Pre-selection Testing of Polymeric Materials
Taking advantage of a valuable tool
Pre-selection is a valuable tool for both product
designers and component suppliers. Plastic materials
that demonstrate an acceptable performance when
subjected to the small-scale pre-selection tests should
behave favorably when subjected to end product
testing in the product application.
The use of pre-selection test data can reduce the time
and costs associated with final end product testing and,
consequently, the time to market for end product and
component manufacturers.
UL
Pre-selection Testing of Polymeric Materials
Increase product speed to market
Helps designers find materials that comply with
safety standards
IEC 60335-1 and IEC 60950-1 now permit the use
of materials pre-selection testing as the equivalent
or preferred method to end product testing on
assembled plastic parts
UL
Pre-selection Testing of Polymeric Materials
For example, a material’s resistance to ignition or flammability,
as well as its electrical, tracking resistance,
physical/mechanical and thermal characteristics, may be
critical parameters for an appliance enclosure that is relied
upon as electrical insulation.
Pre-selection provides several advantages to product
designers looking to determine such characteristics,
including:
An increased level of safety in the design of the end product
Consistency of test data
Reduced design costs
Availability of material data
UL
Pre-selection Testing of Polymeric Materials
UL iQ for Plastics contains information regarding the following materials preselection characteristics:
Flammability
Glow wire flammability and ignition
Hot-wire ignition
High-ampere ignition
Dielectric breakdown strength
Impact resistance
Ball pressure
Vicat softening and heat deflection
Comparative tracking index
Relative thermal indices
Materials included in UL iQ for Plastics are covered under UL’s Component Recognition Program.
UL IQ
UL IQ
How to obtain a yellow card
Yellow Card
Click on the
hyperlink for
“PC/ABS –FR1”
How UL IQ can help you
Use UL IQ parametric to find an alternate material
Then use the “company”, “grade”, or “tradename”
search tools
Obtain a yellow card
Submit to your customer for approval
Websites
UL
www.ul.com/plastics
UL IQ
iq.ul.com
Polymer Resources
www.prlresins.com
Thank You!