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Posts in category LabTest News
The latest addition to the LabTest family
Welcome the latest addition to the LabTest family: Sujit Embrandiri
Please welcome the latest addition to the LabTest family: Sujit Embrandiri, our new Account Manager for the Electrical department, Toronto branch. Sujit comes to LabTest with a master's degree in Electronics and Control Engineering and a 6 years consulting contribution to research and technology. With a broad background in product design and development, product testing, and certification, Sujit is a Semiconductor expert specializing in product development, supplier management, and volume manufacturing strategies who watches the electronics manufacturing industry with a hawk's eye. His specialities are, but not limited to: Consumer Electronics, Lighting, Industrial Automation and Control, Medical Electronics, Lab equipment, and IT/ Audio Video equipment. Sujit's expertise in strategic planning, pull-through program development, sales, digital marketing, project management, account management, product launch, and presentation development are his keys for delivering exceptional application sales results. As a proactive and open-minded person overall, Sujit takes pride in being analytical and a good problem-solver. Some of the causes he cares for are Health, Human Rights, Environment, Education, and Spirituality, but also enjoys Yoga, Sports, Reading, Travel, and Cooking!
Connect with Sujit at:
Sujit.Embrandiri@labtestcert.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sujitembrandiri/
LabTest News
ICES-003 — Information Technology Equipment (Including Digital Apparatus) — Limits and Methods of Measurement
ICES-003, Issue 6, was updated April 2019 – All external thermostats sold, offered for sale, manufactured, imported, distributed or leased on the Canadian market will have to comply with this issue of ICES-003 by December 31, 2019.
Updated Section 2.1 to clarify the definition of an ITE device.
Updated Section 2.3 to include storage media.
Updated Section 2.4 to clarify applicability of broadcasting equipment.
Updated Section 3(b) to reference the latest version of ANSI C63.4-2014.
Updated Section 4(e) to clarify that external thermostats are subject to the requirements of ICES-003 with a revised transition period outlined above the list of changes.
For inquiries contact us at 1-855-346-0444 or info@labtestcert.com
Regulatory update for gas fireplace pilots in BC, Canada
Regulatory reminder for British Columbia (Canada) with regards to Standing Pilot Gas Fireplaces (this includes fireplaces certified as Heaters and as Decorative Gas Appliances). As per the standards changes made under the Energy Efficiency Act (EEA) on March 6, 2018, products manufactured on or after January 1, 2019 must now be in compliance with the new, updated standards. Fireplaces that have standing pilots for ignition are not permitted anymore in British Columbia. This includes systems that are using ignition capable of switching between IPI / CPI ignition (in this case the permanent pilot option must be disabled). The only Ignition systems still allowed are the Pilot-on-demand; Intermittent Ignition; Interrupted Ignition. More detailed information can be found in this regulatory bulletin.
Click here to view bulletin
CSA A440.2-09 standard for ENERGY STAR
NRCan is phasing out certification to the CSA A440.2-09 standard for ENERGY STAR. Effective January 1, 2020, NRCan will no longer accept any models certified to this standard. Please check your certification records and if any of your products are certified to the 2009 standard, give us a call as they will need to be recertified before the deadline.
Learn More about Fenestration
ANSI Z21.97 / CSA 2.41: Outdoor Decorative Gas Appliances
3rd Edition – December 1, 2017
Effective Date: January 1, 2020
Throughout the remaining months of 2019, manufacturers of outdoor decorative gas appliances must consider the upcoming edition of the ANSI Z21.97 / CSA 2.41, which takes effect January 1, 2020. Manufacturers of current listings to the current requirements will need to submit their product's listing report and technical specifications to their Certification Body for an engineering review to have determined if their product will continue to meet or exceed the new requirements. Manufacturers of newly designed products will now have their products evaluated to the new requirements for compliance.
The new standard requirements include several changes, with two major changes coming into effect: a new rain test and a new requirement for appliances using exposed glass surfaces.
Rain test: the new rain test is significant as this test requires the appliance to be operated during the simulated rain storm. During this test, if the appliance's flame is extinguished, a safety shut-off must activate to turn off the flow of unburnt supply gas. Therefore, if there is no safety shut-off system monitoring the flame presence, the flame cannot be extinguished. Manufacturers must take caution when designing their products to ensure this requirement can be met. A common question with this requirement is that decorative appliances are intended to be attended by a user, in which case normal operation would not be in a rain storm. However, there are many situations in which a lapse in attention could lead to an oversight by the user resulting in an extinguished flame and the build-up of unburnt gas which could cause an explosion resulting in property damage, personal injury or even death.
Exposed Glass Surface: the new requirements for exposed glass surfaces come new to this standard and mirrors the requirements set forth in fireplace safety standards' glass front requirements. Exposed glass fronts must now be maintained at a safe temperature to prevent burns; this temperature limit has been set to 172°F (78°C) at 77°F (25°C) room temperature. Exposed glass surfaces can be misleading to the user or a small child. The decorative look provided by some glass fronts makes for an inviting surface for small children to want to touch. Hot glass surfaces can cause serious burns to the skin and extra care is needed to ensure appliances with glass surfaces are reasonably safe to not only the user, but to small children than may be near the appliance while in operation. It only takes a second for a child to be harmed!
Be ahead of the game and prepare for the effective date that's coming very soon! Make sure your Outdoor Decorative Gas Appliances meet the new requirements, by certifying your new products to the new standard or re-evaluating the old ones.
UL 50E (Enclosures for Electrical Equipment, Environmental Considerations, Edition 1: 2007)
Are you a manufacturer looking to get Type testing on Enclosures for Electrical Equipment, Environmental Considerations?
This is the standard you will need your enclosures tested to: UL 50E / CSA C22.2.94.2. This tri-national standard applies to enclosures for electrical equipment intended to be installed and used in non-hazardous locations in accordance with the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I, CSA C22.1, the provisions of the National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, and the provisions of Mexico's Electrical Installations, NOM-001-SEDE, as follows:
a) Enclosures for indoor locations, Types 1, 2, 5, 12, 12K, and 13; and
b) Enclosures for indoor or outdoor locations, Types 3, 3R, 3S, 4, 4X, 6, and 6P.
This standard also covers additional environmental construction and performance requirements for enclosures.
What is an Enclosure
A surrounding case constructed to provide a degree of protection to personnel against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment and to provide a degree of protection to the enclosed equipment against specified environmental conditions.
Type Testing includes the following tests: Drip test, Rain test, Dust test, External Icing test, Hosedown test, Indoor Corrosion protection, Outdoor Corrosion protection, Submersion test, Pressure test, Oil Exclusion test, Gasket tests, Rod Entry test, Misalignment test, and Water Exposure and Immersion test.
When designing an enclosure, knowing the difference between each Enclosure Type definition is important. If in doubt, LabTest can help you sort that out. It's as easy as Type 1, Type 2, Type 3!
What is SPE-1000?
CSA SPE-1000 is a Model Code for One-Time approvals of General Electrical Products being sold, installed, or operated in Canada and that do not comply with Canadian Electrical Code requirements. Products that are custom-built, modified, or imported from other parts of the world could fit this criterion. This program is only valid for the Canadian market and allows for up to 500 units, per model, per Inspection Body (IB), per year This model code addresses the product construction, markings, and test requirements and is not meant to replace full certification. Special Inspections to SPE-1000 are only performed on a complete systems or subassemblies (ie. control panels) and cannot be performed on a component (ie. switch or relay). As per Canadian regulations, Special Inspections should only be performed by Inspection Bodies who are accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC)and authorized to label the products.
Products within the CSA SPE-1000 scope:
Industrial Control Panels, Automated manufacturing, Semiconductor fabrication, Luminaires, Switchboards, Robotics, Heating and Cooling, Generators, Distribution Systems, any Mobile Equipment that have electrical components, and more.
Examples of Tests performed:
Based on the construction, one of main mandatory tests required for every electrical product within SPE-1000, is the Dielectric Strength Test, also known as Hi-pot test. For equipment rated 250vac or less, 1000 Vac Test voltage is applied to the product for one minute, without a breakdown between live parts and exposed non-current carrying metal parts and between live parts and accessible extra low voltage secondary circuits. The other test that can be performed on the product are Temperature test, Leakage current test, Strain Relief test and Flame test. If the unit is installed outdoor, it will also have to be tested for a Rain test for a duration of 90 minutes.
Special Inspection is the way to go if:
Product needs quick approvals
For limited quantities or batches
Product has been "Red Tagged"
Certification is not practical
Product has already been shipped and/or installed
Testing the market and may not continue production
Modifying already certified products
If the above scenarios sound familiar, you may need an SPE-1000!
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NRCan is no longer proposing this prescriptive path
Update to Technical Bulletin on the proposed prescriptive path to meet Fan Energy Rating (FER) for gas, oil-fired and electric furnaces
On December 6, 2018, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) issued a technical bulletin proposing a prescriptive alternative to meeting the FER standards for gas, oil-fired and electric furnaces. NRCan is no longer proposing this prescriptive path and will require compliance to the FER standards where they apply.
For more information, NRCan has just posted on its website the update to the technical bulletin for furnace fans for gas, oil-fired and electric furnaces.
New ISO/IEC 80079-34:2018 – what's changed?
This is the second edition of ISO/IEC 80079-34:2018 – Explosive atmospheres — Part 34: Application of quality systems for ex product manufacture. It cancels and replaces the previous 2011 edition with a full technical revision.
All QAR's (Quality Assessment Reports) and QAN's (Quality Assurance Notifications) for IECEx and ATEX approvals – new and renewal assessments – will now be conducted in accordance to ISO/IEC 80079-34:2018.
The changes from the previous edition are minor, but the Clause numbering has changed in order to be in line with ISO 9001:2015.
The application of ISO/IEC 80079-34:2018 is intended to cover:
electrical equipment (IEC 60079-0, -1, -2, -5, -6, -7, -11, -13, -15, -18, -28, – 33)
non-electrical equipment (ISO 80079-36 and -37)
protective systems (ISO 16852)
safety devices (IEC 60079-29)
Ex Components (IEC 60079-0, …)
and their combinations as assembly of Ex equipment (IEC 60079-46)
Some definitions have been withdrawn because these words are already defined in IEC 60079-0 and not changed:
Ex Component
Ex Equipment
Type of Protection
New definitions:
3.5 Ex Product Ex Equipment, protective system, safety device, Ex Component and their combination, as well as software and services
3.10 Technical documentation Adding of the "Formal Ignition hazard identification and assessment" for Non-electrical equipment conforms to ISO 80079-36
Pre-Compliance EMC Testing
We all know that product development life cycle is vast & could involve many stages, especially if the product is a complex one, with multi-functionalities and high-speed processing. Now, throw in the wireless capabilities, which almost every device nowadays needs to have, and the chances of not hitting any bumps in the road, while developing your product, are very slim.
Even when all the different variables like, for example, device radiations & susceptibilities are taken into consideration, and your samples are ready to be submitted for testing, we all know that there are no guarantees that there will be no failures. And at that point, when your prototype is almost 100% finalized, going back to the drawing board and making changes to the design could be very costly.
So, what can be done to avoid finding yourself in a situation like this? Have your product tested for Pre-Compliance first instead!
Pre-Compliance Testing is a quick validation of the prototype design for Emissions and/or Immunity, at all or specific frequency levels, that gives the ability to apply changes or modifications during pre-scanning.
While Pre-Compliance Testing cannot guarantee no non-compliances when the product goes through full evaluation, it can considerably reduce the risks & cost.
Advantages of Pre-Compliance Testing:
Reduced time to market
Reduced cost
Early detection of flaws in the design
Reduced product development time
Can be helpful in achieving balance between simple & complex design
LabTest Certification Inc. is an accredited third-party Certification Body, Testing Laboratory, and Inspection Body accredited to ISO 17065, ISO 17025, and ISO 17020 by national and international accreditation bodies (ILAC and IAF Signatory Members), such as Standards Council of Canada (SCC), International Accreditation Services (IAS), ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB). LabTest Certification Inc. is an accredited Notified Body for EMC & Radio Equipment Directive (RED) & authorized to issue EU-Type Examination certificates.
Whether seeking approvals for the North American (FCC & IC/ISED), European (EMC/RED), or International markets, LabTest has the knowledge and expertise necessary to ensure your products comply with the requirements of the national regulations of the country your products are destined for.
Pre-Compliance Testing is currently offered at both our Canadian and US locations and Full-Compliance Testing is also available at our Delta, BC (Canada) facility, with guaranteed fast turnaround time and cost-effective solutions!
EMC Testing Capabilities:
FCC/IC certified 3m full compliance Anechoic radiated Immunity Chamber
Radiated susceptibility/immunity magnetic fields 45 Hz through 1000 Hz
Radiated Susceptibility/Immunity Testing, upto 18GHz & 200V/m
Conducted susceptibility 10 kHz through 230 MHz with AM, FM or pulse modulation
Radiated Emission Testing, upto 40GHz
Conducted emissions 9 kHz through 80MHz
Special equipment for transient capabilities
Special equipment for Radio testing
30kV ESD Simulator with variety networks
Immunity Transients for Automotive
NEBS testing
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