Editor’s note: This article comes from Flux Power‘s blog, a developer of advanced lithium-ion batteries for industrial applications. Read more blog postings here.
Underwriter Laboratories (UL) is an organization with a mission “to build a safer, more secure and more sustainable today and tomorrow.” The organization does so by helping companies establish trustworthy products in the marketplace. To achieve this mission, UL requires products go through rigorous testing by industry-standard UL test labs.
To better understand why UL is important, it is best to understand what certifications are offered and how they differ. Currently UL offers two different certifications.
UL Listed
Products with a UL Listing have been tested to meet nationally recognized safety standards. They have been tested as complete final products, and found to be free from reasonably foreseeable risk of fire, electric shock. or other hazards. Products that have undergone such rigorous testing display the UL Listed Mark on product packaging and marketing materials.
For example, UL Listed lithium-ion walkie pallet truck batteries can be used in all brands currently available, giving the end user a tremendous level of confidence that the equipment will run safely. It ensures the protection of employees and property.
UL Recognized Component
Components covered by UL’s “Recognized Component” program are intended to be installed in another device, system or end product and are not a final product. They must be factory installed (no field installation), and they may have restricted performance capabilities that limit their use.
When considering industrial lithium-ion batteries for walkie pallet trucks, this mark restricts which trucks the battery is compatible with. Note that further testing of the end product is required to obtain a full UL Listing.
UL experience & expertise
UL is the global standard for certifying the compliance and safety of electronic equipment. UL invests its resources in making sure it’s standards are up to date in today’s rapidly changing market ensuring tested products are safe for users. To help maintain trust, UL partners with law enforcement worldwide to seize counterfeit products that attempt to fraudulently bear UL marks.
Why use a UL Listed lithium-ion battery?
UL Listed lithium-ion batteries are creating a paradigm shift not only in the consumer world, but in the material handling industry as well. These batteries typically offer long runtimes, little to no maintenance, fast-charge capability, and reduced costs of ownership. This makes lithium-ion an attractive choice for industrial equipment such as walkie pallet trucks and forklifts.
As with any new technology, questions about safety may arise and it is helpful to have a trusted, independent third-party such as UL conduct extensive product testing and certification.
End users can then have full confidence in the safety of their employees and worksite operation.
Filed Under: Uncategorized
Thanks for the article.
We are looking into adding a rechargeable Li-Ion battery to a system. It will be factory installed and not user serviceable. What battery certifications are needed to make system cert the easiest? Based on what you said above, I think “listed” is overkill. Are there certifications other than UL that are equivalent?
The battery we need will be roughly 25V with about 6AH capacity. Do you know of any battery vendors that have off-the-shelf packs we can procure with the proper ratings?
Thanks so much
This story might be helpful: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/10/industry-safety-codes-and-standards-for-energy-storage-systems/