Certifications Possible for Motor Driven Roller Technologies
Conveyor and packaging systems are integral to a supply chain and product delivery strategy. In many parts of the country it’s vital to have your motorized drive rollers or controller up to par with local city or end-user code standards. You don’t want to find out the hard way after you’ve spent lots of money, and your system requires an ODVA or UL certification.
There are organizations that offer certifications to help industrial consumers navigate the myriad of product choices. But just like products, there are a myriad of certifications. What do they mean and what benefit do they provide you as an industrial consumer? Let's look.
Common certifications
Here are the most common standards for industrial motors, controls, and other electrical products. These standards do one thing: they ensure that the product you're buying is going to work as it says it will.
Edison Testing Laboratories (ETL): Certified to UL Standards
UL Standards are used to assess products, namely testing components, materials, systems, and performance for physical and environmental safety. The UL includes more than 1,300 standards from metal conduits to electrical systems.
Any product you purchase with a UL certification will list the standard number. A simple internet search of "UL standard" plus the number will tell you what standards the product conforms to and is certified for. For example, PulseRoller's ConveyLinx, advanced drive control, conforms to UL 61010-1 (Safety Requirements for Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control, and Laboratory Use - Part 1: General Requirements) and UL 61010-2-201 (Standard for Safety Requirements for Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control, and Laboratory Use - Part 2-201: Particular Requirements for Control Equipment).
UL publishes the safety standards, but is not the only nationally recoginized laboratory that test poducts to those standards. For example, Edison Testing Laboratories (ETL) is a popular laboratory for testing products to UL standards. You will see either a UL logo with the listed standard or an ETL logo with the listed standard.
ODVA
ODVA (https://www.odva.org) is a standard most commonly found in North America. It verifies that network technologies are built on the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP™). EtherNet/IP™, DeviceNet™, CompoNet™, and ControlNet™ are all built using CIP™ standards.
What does it mean for you? Products certified by ODVA are ensured to communicate across the plant floor. Companies can easily integrate I/O control, device configuration and data collection across multiple networks. Products built on Common Industrial Protocol install faster and involve less engineering time.
Each product that successfully passes conformance testing receives an official Declaration of Conformity from ODVA. To maintain their Declarations of Conformity, vendors must continue to comply with the Terms of Usage Agreement and ODVA conformance test policies and guidelines.
PROFINET
PROFINET is the Eastern European equivalent of ODVA. Unlike ODVA, PROFINET is not focused on Common Industrial Protocol, instead focusing its efforts on a wider variety of industrial Ethernet standards.
Certification is undertaken by an accredited PI Test Lab, and is carried out in accordance with established and proven procedures. The Test Lab tests for compliance with the PROFINET specification and any profiles involved, and also for interoperability with other PROFINET devices. Only when all test procedures are successfully undertaken will PI issue a formal Certificate for the device.
CE Marking
The letters "CE" are the abbreviation of French phrase "Conformité Européene" which literally means "European Conformity," and that's exactly what it is. A CE marking declares that the product has been assessed to meet high safety, health, and environmental protection requirements and can be sold throughout the European Economic Area. This also applies to products made in other countries that are sold in the EEA. CE marking also supports fair competition by holding all companies accountable to the same rules.
Counterfeit CE markings are not uncommon. Make sure the product you're purchasing has the correct mark.
Recognized vs. Certified
When reviewing marketing material for motorized drive roller products and controls, you'll often see two words regarding standards: recognized or certified.
If a company says, "we're UL recognized," it means that the manufacturer built its products with those standards in mind. If a company says it's "certified," it means that they not only built their products with the standards in mind, but also had them tested by a third-party laboratory to ensure the product met the standards.
Certified products may at times cost more due to the expense of getting and maintaining certification. However, you know the product is safe and compliant for your facility and employees.
Certifications are tied to products, not companies. Make sure it's clear which product has the certification.
To learn more about PulseRoller and our certifications, visit our website at http://www.pulseroller.com or email the sales team at sales@pulseroller.com.
Media Contact: David Sellers, PulseRoller, 859-647-8940, dsellers@insightautomation.cc
PulseRoller Web site: http://www.pulseroller.com