Re: UL vs CE Listing Hook up?
Originally posted by jrwii:
What is our opinion about wiring in pieces of machinery that are not UL listed but CE or other listed? Is a CE or other listing enity ok? Specifically wiring machine tools from overseas? What does NEC allow?
CE is not even remotely equivilant to a UL listing. In fact, it is not even a listing at all.
UL is an independant 3rd party that evaluates equipment and components to standards that UL considers acceptable. The UL mark means that the standards Ul considers acceptable for that product have been met.
The CE mark is one that is applied by the manufacturer or supplier. It is a certfication by the manufacturer or supplier that ALL applicable EU standards for that piece of equipment have been met. There is no requirement for any third party involvement at all.
It is quite possible for a piece of equipment to meet EU standards but not meet UL requirements.
It is also quite possible to do both simultaneously.
It is not necessary in most cases for machinery itself to be listed, other than hand tools like jig saws and dills. Custom made machinery is almost never listed due to the insane costs associated with trying to do so.
It is possible your jurisdiction might require the control panel to be UL listed, even if the rest of the machine is not. It is possible to get a UL listing on a control panel after the fact but it could be expensive and may require alterations to the panel. One thing that can be an issue with foreign built control panels is the the UL requirement on drawings being provided. Often the drawings provided do not have adequate information on them and thus have to be redone or modified.
Many times stuff comes in from overseas that uses components that are not UL listed. Most people tend to think a UL listed panel must have all UL listed components in it. While that simplfies things, it is not completely true. UL provides means to allow non-UL listed components to be integrated into a UL listed panel.
It is also possible to list just the subpanel assembly, and not the box it came in. This is sometimes an option.