The application of all types of electrical power connections in North American products are governed by CSA in Canada & UL in the United States.
The structure of the certification process for a product is very particular and standardized to maintain transparency throughout the design, manufacturing and sale of all electrical products from consumer devices and industrial machinery to medical devices and other military grade applications. Safety is the number one concern when determining the standardization process.
The goal of todays article is to go over the key sticking points and bring you through how an electrical product becomes certified in the North American Market.
Drawings
The very first place information is derived during the product design stage is drawings. In order for a company to process production runs of any electrical product, the electromechanical drawing must be certified by a governing body for use. Let’s look at the details of this process:
PDF Drawing
Understanding what goes into a certified drawing makes all the difference between a smooth certification process and a rocky one. Since all electrical products produced must meet the same minimum criteria, certain things must be present on the drawing as well as the drawing being an official CAD drawing itself in order for successful approval.
- In order to show all of the details in an accurate-to-scale form, professional CAD (Computer Aided Design) software must be used to derive the 2d electrical harness component drawing. This requirement has multiple implications including limiting the authorized personnel capable of creating the drawing and their respective knowledge levels as an engineer, and also makes visible the creator of the drawing and any authorizations obtained to complete it. It also provides a standard look and form for all types of scale drawings.
- Bill Of Materials
The bill of materials (BOM) is a charted listing directly on the drawing that outlines every part and certified component that is part of the complete build and should include the following as a minimum:
- Wire Gauge
- Wire Type (ex. UL 1015, CSA TR-32, tinned copper, temp ratings) the more information available for visibility the better learn all about wire types and gauges here!
- Manufacturer Part Numbers which cross reference your internal business part number assignments. This helps the quoting company find all the parts used on the product from certified sources. Having these details save a ton of back and forth communications time between the quoting company and the client
- Quantities of each component
- Nominal measurements of wire lengths must be present including tolerances (+/-)
- Component Images should be imported into CAD software directly from the manufacturer’s authorized file releases for accurate part visual representation which may show keying, polarizations, circuit identity and orientation on the harness
Product Application Data
When searching for a company to send RFQ’s to, certain information is needed to help the quoting company determine the best possible routes for obtaining best pricing through distribution.
Estimated Annual Usage (EAU)
This estimation helps a quoting company get volumized pricing based on how many units of the wire harness will be needed in a fiscal year
It also helps the manufacturing factory plan for product launch, ramping and long-term guaranteed supply of the product
Specialized Component Requirements
Sometimes, a custom electrical component is created by a designer as part of a product’s design that is not available as a certified component through distribution channels and is specific to that model of device. These components are standardly sent to an authorized certifying body, destructively tested for certification subject to the same stress testing and processes that all certified electrical components are put through, and given a certification file number. In these cases, verification is completed by the quoting company on those parts to make sure they are in fact certified.
As a wire harness manufacturer, when parts are drawn or spec’d outside of the certification parameters, we send notification to the client on how to make it right. For example, it seems common for many companies sending RFQ’s in the wire harness industry to pair a terminal certified for 18-22 gauge wire onto a 16 gauge wire. Designers may be unaware that those terminal series are available in 16 gauge format and thus use the wrong part in the design. Our job as a certified wire harness manufacturer is to do authorized work. Products with wrong designations cannot be produced for certified use and must be corrected prior to production runs
Application Description
This aspect includes describing to the quoting company the project as a whole, and how the wiring harness integrates into the device. Things like system function, amperage requirements and physical routing are all audited during the quoting process to create an accurate wiring harness and cost estimate. Wire Gauge are checked against amperage requirements, Wire lengths are measured and tested for fit, form and function once drawings are approved and a sample device is made
CSA & UL Certification Process
The process to obtaining certification on a new electrical product can happen a couple different ways. Below are a few different scenarios product creators face depending on the stage their design is at when it needs certification by CSA & UL for entry into the North American Market.
There are two avenues to certification which differ in application called (a) Model Certification (b) Field Evaluation
- Brand New Design –
- Option 1 Model Certification: An electrical product sample is created from scratch using all CSA & UL certified components. This sample is drawn officially for certification and is sent to the certifying body for testing. Once the unit is verified for legality against the standards, a file number is awarded and there is no limit to how many of that product are produced. They are all certified.
- Option 2 Field Evaluation: Sometimes a product might change slightly from model to model, or is a single unit “one-off”. There still needs to be a certified drawing in place, but the production run is fully built using all certified components, but this product does not have a file number for authorization of all the units. An ESA representative is brought in to audit each unit before it can be sold and used in the market.
2. A Known Product In A Different Market
It is a known fallacy that different countries around the world use different limits, certifications and safety devices on electrical products that may or may not be legal and certifiable in other regions such as North America where advanced auditing, safety protocols and devices have been created as a result of dangerous products being audited and made safe.
Other certifications sometimes contrast with CSA and UL requirements so machines and devices adhering to other markets need to be readdressed when that product enters the North American Market.
Option 1 Model Certification: The same process applies where the electrical design needs replacement of all non-CSA/UL certified components with certified ones, and then certification be done on a sample unit and drawing for production of that same model repeatedly. Any electrical work performed during the hookup and installation of wiring internally and externally to mains power must be done by licensed entities to create the product in a certified fashion in North America.
This option works well if the product is standardized to a single manufacturing process for hundreds or thousands of units.
Option 2 Field Evaluation: The device or machine would be built in a different market, but using all CSA/UL certified components. Then when the product lands in North America, an authorized certifying company would audit each single unit for certification and entry into use.
**This option although cheaper can present specific challenges depending on the product and the required changes to enter the North American Market. Sometimes certified parts are not available outside the NA market making it hard to source building the product outside the region. As well, there is training required to understand the differences between techniques used to install electrical items in different countries in order to have the unit pass certification when audited.
This option is preferred where a custom electrical system is used for single units “one -offs”.
We hope you have found this article informative and it can serve as a guide when searching for answers to entering new product markets!