What is UL Certification?
Underwriters Laboratories is a global safety organization that does more than develop standards. It also tests and certifies components such as gaskets and larger products such as enclosures. In addition, UL approves independent laboratories that perform tests according to UL standards.
Manufacturers may say that a rubber product “meets UL standards”, but that doesn’t mean the product is UL certified. UL certified rubber undergoes an application and testing process before receiving a UL Mark and UL Yellow Card, if all requirements are met.
What is UL 50E Rubber?
UL50E is a standard that extends UL50 by adding specific environmental protections. UL50, the base standard, covers general-purpose electrical enclosures for indoor or outdoor use. It accounts for fire, electrical, and mechanical hazards, but that may not be enough for some applications.
UL50E’s additional requirements make it suitable for outdoor enclosures like battery energy storage systems (BESS) and the junction boxes used in 5G telecommunications. UL 50E enclosures are also used in demanding indoor environments like metalworking facilities.
UL 50E and Non-UL Standards
Some enclosures need to meet non-UL standards that are based on the UL 50 classification system. For example, the National Equipment Manufacturers Association (NEMA) uses UL 50 and UL 50E to define its own ratings under the NEMA 250 standard. In turn, there are individual NEMA ratings with numeric or alphanumeric designations such as 3, 3S, and 3SX.
NEMA is often compared to the Ingress Protection (IP) system from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Some NEMA ratings have IP equivalents, but NEMA ratings have more detailed specifications and apply only to North American environments. In Canada, UL 50 and UL 50E are harmonized with CSA C22.2 No. 94.1/94.2 from the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).
What is UL 94 Rubber?
UL94 defines fire tests for polymers, a category of materials that includes rubber and plastic. UL 94 contains various flame ratings, each of which has its own test procedure. Within UL 94, there are vertical and horizontal burn ratings for rubber that’s used in electrical and electronic enclosures.
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