Switchgear construction according to
international standards
UL standard required in North America
Standards and regulations play an important role, particularly in the construction of switchgear. In North America, the UL standard (including UL 508A or UL 698A for explosive areas) and the CSA standard specify exactly how switch cabinets are to be designed and built. UL, the abbreviation for Underwriters Laboratory, is an independent organization founded in 1894. Every electrical machine or system in the USA is inspected and approved by an inspector, the AHJ ( Authority Having Jurisdiction), before it is put into operation. This inspection is required by law in the USA. Operators who do not have their machines or plants inspected by an AHJ risk both insurance cover and energy supply.
Qualifications for UL certification
For UL certification of its products, a manufacturer must demonstrate that it meets the specified design requirements. The use of UL-approved products is not sufficient to manufacture a UL-compliant switch cabinet. The interaction of the devices according to the respective application standards as well as the acceptance of the control cabinet in its actual application environment are also decisive. Fire protection and other sources of danger play a particularly important role here.
Our UL competence at a glance
- Advice to our customers which standards must be respected
- Planning and engineering of the entire functional unit according to the required standard
- Construction of switch cabinets according to UL specifications
- In-house UL labeling by our own standards officer
- Assembly and installation of switch cabinets on site according to NFPA79
Switchgear production in Beckum meets international requirements
Several times a year, our switchgear production in Beckum receives unannounced visits from an NRTL (Nationally Recognized Test Laboratory) approved inspector, who ensures that we permanently comply with the requirements of the UL standard. This entitles us to independently label our switchgear with the UL label.
The permission to certify switchgear according to UL is very important. Systems without UL certification are carefully inspected by the AHJ on arrival in the USA or Canada. In case of problems, the manufacturer of the switchgear has to travel and make changes, which can be very time-consuming and expensive. Systems with the UL label, usually pass the inspection without any problems.
The critical factor for a UL-conform switch cabinet is the design phase. All relevant regulations must be taken into account here - and there are many of them. This is why Blumenbecker has had a Technology Competence Center for several years, which collects all standards centrally and monitors the compliance during the construction of a switchgear.
Blumenbecker's international manufacturing standards
| Standard | Brief description |
|---|---|
| AS NZS61439 | The Australian standard for industrial switchgear |
| Atex | EU directives on explosion protection |
CSA (CSA) us | Stands for Canadian Standards Association |
| EN13849 | European standards covering safety-related parts of control systems |
| EN60204 | European standard for the electrical equipment of machinery |
| EN61439 | European standard for switchgear |
| GOST | Certification system for exports to Russia |
| NFPA79 | Stands for Fire Protection Association and applies to electrical equipment for machinery destined for the US market |
UL508A cUL508A | Standard used in the USA and Canada for industrial control panels |
UL698A cUL698A | US American and Canadian standard for control equipment being used in hazardous locations |