Compliance Tip: Write the NRTL Descriptive Report in Your Favor
Before the NRTL finishes their work, it is highly recommended you review the descriptive report so you don’t back yourself into a compliance nightmare. In the report, components of your product are called out in detail – manufacturer name, catalog number, ratings, dimensions, etc. Not all components need that much detail. Be sure only those that require that level of detail are called out. The others can be called out generically.
Some common critical components that need detail are – plastic enclosures, over temperature devices, some over current protective devices, power supplies, line voltage transformers, power switches, etc. These need to be called out by make and model number.
Some common components that don’t need much detail are – power supply cords, some fuses, computer type fans, PWBs, most low voltage components. In these instances, the description can be, for example – “Power Supply Cord – any UL Listed cord, rated 125V, 105°C“
This way, you can use any cord as long as it meets the generic description. Using this approach will save you a lot of time and money down the road if a supplier stops making a particular part or you want to 2nd source a component.
In Need of Environmental Testing?
Product Safety Consulting has two Cincinnati Sub-Zero 
Z-Plus environmental test chambers. Each chamber can be programmed to perform various types of thermal cycling. These test chambers simulate a full range of temperature and humidity conditions. These conditions may include: extreme temperatures, sudden and extreme temperature variations, moisture or relative humidity, electrodynamic vibrations, and electromagnetic radiation.
- Each chamber is 32 Cubic Ft.
- Shelf load capacity is 100 lbs. distributed and 60 lbs. concentrated
- Floor loading is 350 lbs. distributed and 35 lbs./sq. ft. concentrated.
- Temperature range is -73˚C to +190˚C.
- Humidity range is 10% to 98% RH
| Cooling Performance | Heating Performance | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empty chamber in Minutes from | Empty Chamber in Minutes from | |||||||||
| 24˚C | 85˚C | 24˚C | -34˚C | -68˚C | ||||||
| -18˚C | -34˚C | -40˚C | -54˚C | -68˚C | -40 | 93˚C | 190˚C | 24˚C | 24˚C | |
| H/AC | 12 | 20 | 25 | 35 | 50 | 55 | 20 | 60 | 10 | 20 |
| SC/AC | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 40 | 35 | 20 | 60 | 10 | 20 |
Product Safety Consulting Expands Lighting Certification Services
PSC is now offering advanced lighting manufacturers new types of product certification assistance, including:
- Design Lights Consortium (DLC)
- ENERGY STAR Certification
- DOE LED Lighting Facts Label
- California CEC Product Registration, for Title 20 & Title 24 compliance
Manufacturers of advanced lighting have long suffered a maze of voluntary and regulatory program hurdles. Help is finally available. Since 1988, Product Safety Consulting has been providing product developers and manufacturers with expert advice and testing services, so that they can confidently secure product safety and regulatory compliance in the least time, and for the least expense. For more information about any of our certification services, please contact: Alan Gradei at [email protected]
Recent Successes
As noted in the Compliance Tip section sometimes NRTLs will write the descriptive reports calling out every component in detail, including manufacturer name and catalog number. In many instances, the report does not need to be that specific. Back in 2010 we wrote a report for a client, making sure non-critical components were called out generically. Today, three years later, the client had a change to one of those components. Because it was called out generically, there is no need to open a project with the NRTL. He was able to implement the change immediately and start shipping the new product, saving time and money!