Why UL508A certification is crucial for control panels

What Are UL508A Panel Shop Requirements? Is your contract manufacturer certified?

To build a panel that satisfies the requirements of UL508A standards, the panel must first be designed to meet those standards. Here are some of the requirements you must meet to achieve UL508A certification on your panel:

• Components: Critical components used in the panel design must be from “listed” or “recognized” sources that are certified.
• Circuit protection: The design must have built into it the required circuit protection to prevent the possibility of electrical shock danger to the user or the panel.
• Labeling and identification: Conductors and components must be labeled according to the standard for easy identification.
• Spacing: The panel must be designed with specified electrical spacing for safety purposes.
• Regional electrical codes: The panel must be designed with full compliance to these codes.

These are just some of the requirements that must be designed into the panel to make it UL508A-compliant.  Once the panel design has been confirmed to be UL508A compliant, it is then up to the certified contract manufacturer, like AutomateIT, to build the product according to the design specifications. To complete the process, the contract manufacturer will host follow-up inspections with certified UL auditors to verify that the panel manufacturing remains compliant with the standard. 

By meeting these requirements, the contract manufacturer is then allowed to apply the UL mark to the panels that they have manufactured.

Only a certified contract manufacturer can apply the UL mark to the products they build, and they can only apply the mark if the proper verification process has been followed.

The Value of UL508A Certification

To be certified, a contract manufacturer must be trained in the UL standard and maintain that certification annually. With a UL508A certification, the CONTRACT MANUFACTURER will be able to build industrial control panel equipment that will include the enclosures and sub-panels of the system. It also includes different types of control circuits, such as overload relays, circuit breakers, selector switches, indicator lights, and push-buttons. Along with that, of course, are all of the associated terminals and wiring that must be connected within the product.

Having a UL mark on your product is a valuable thing. First of all, it shows that you’ve designed your panel according to exacting UL standards. That mark will help to build the confidence of your customers by demonstrating that your product has a robust design. 

Second, the UL mark will show that the panel has been built according to the same tough standards. Your customers will know that the layout of the wires in the panel as well as how they are cut and connected is done according to a controlled cabling method. Your customers will know that, with the UL mark on it, the panel they purchase from you will have been built in a precise and organized manner.

The Benefits to You When Working with a Certified CONTRACT MANUFACTURER

When working with a contract manufacturer that is UL 508A certified, you will get the best-produced panel possible, but that’s not all. A certified CONTRACT MANUFACTURER also knows how to work with the UL verification process. These CONTRACT MANUFACTURERs will often do extra work ahead of a UL audit, such as preparing a detailed inspection documentation package, that will assist the auditors in their work. 

For instance, the last thing that a UL auditor wants to do is to hunt through unorganized paperwork to find specific information on a part they are verifying. With a well-prepared inspection package ready to go, however, the UL compliance testing will go much more smoothly and quickly. This will ultimately help you to get your panel certified and on the market in less time than your competition.

At AutomateIT, we’ve been building toward UL standards and working with UL auditors now for a long time. We know what information they need, and we make sure that both the panel we’ve built and the associated documentation is ready when it is time for the certification audit. 

Book a free review today a see how AutomateIT can help your future control panel needs.