Plastics
UL's testing programs for plastics cover plastic materials and related products for use in components and parts of end-products and appliances. Whether it is basic UL Recognition or publication of specific thermal, mechanical and electrical characteristics, UL will provide the appropriate information and service effectively and efficiently.
The plastic material characteristics published on the UL Recognition card enable users of the UL-Recognized plastic to acquire UL Certification for the product or device with a reduced test program. UL Recognition for a plastic material is not limited to the plastic manufacturer. End users can acquire UL Recognition for a plastic material or have their end products subjected to alternative tests.
New Long Term Thermal Aging Program
UL has published a Certification Requirement Decision (CRD) outlining a program to evaluate ingredient modifications of plastic compounds previously certified under UL Safety Standard 746B, Long Term Property Evaluations of Polymeric Materials.
For compound formulation changes relevant to UL Safety Standard 746A, plastics manufacturers can now take advantage of this program when adding, deleting, replacing or changing the level of ingredients in already approved formulations. The program starts with a study of any available analytical and performance data to help identify the chemistry of the modified compound (the candidate) and its relationship to the degradation mechanisms of the original compound (the control). From this data a thermal aging program can be designed using high temperature accelerated conditions,and at which time an analysis of the variation in the degradation performance can be conducted to determine the statistical significance of the formulation changes.
One major benefit of this program is that plastics manufacturers can count on their modified formulations to be evaluated quicker, supporting their supply chain in getting safer products to market faster. This faster turnaround increases the plastic manufacturers’ flexibility, while providing their customers value-added services and helping them meet their go-to market needs. Learn more.
UL IDES Offerings
Learn how leading plastics organizations have improved business while also achieving their business goals. Whether you're searching for plastics materials, needing to build a data sheet search for your company's website or reaching out to qualified plastics professionals; we can help.
UL IDES Prospector is the largest and most used informational resource for plastics material. When searching for information on plastics, the Prospector online service allows users' quick access to technical data sheets and UL yellow cards. Through a single intuitive interface, this tool enables users to efficiently search, filter and mine a comprehensive database of plastics companies' information. With over 85,000 data sheets from 875 manufacturers and over 44,000 UL yellow card listings, Prospector is a premier search engine.
We also offer data sheet management services by which we can build custom search interfaces or portals on your website. These portals allow for your customers, website visitors, sales and customer service teams to find and view technical data sheets for your specific products.
Finally, our advertising services can help you reach over 365,000 qualified plastics professionals in the plastics market. This is an easy way to generate leads and to position your product in a very competitive market.
Material Testing and the UL Thermoplastics Testing Center
The UL Thermoplastics Testing Center (TTC) carries out tests for all major plastics applications, ranging from polyethylene to high-performance thermoplastics. The TTC works with companies involved in compounding, extrusion and injection molding, as well as raw materials producers and automotive manufacturers and their suppliers. The Center uses robots and state-of-the-art machinery to offer one-stop service for customers and can manage approximately 200 different tests for thermoplastics, as well as the production of granules and test pieces. The production of test pieces is carried out using fully automated injection molding machines. The center uses approximately 100 different injection molds for use in tests under UL, ISO and CAMPUS standards and also has complete production lines which enable the compounding of ABS and its blends, polycarbonates and industrial thermoplastics in quantities ranging from 1.3 to 100 kilograms. Learn more.
To find out how you can gain a competitive advantage and cost savings by conducting a more thorough analysis of demolding properties, click here. (registration required)
Material preselection
The preselection of materials is a valuable tool for helping product designers find materials that comply with safety standards. To reduce the risk of products being delayed to market, product designers need to select materials that mitigate the risks of fire, electric shock, personal injury and environmental hazards as well as comply with established North American and international safety standards. For additional information, download the material preselection free white paper or the presentation on thermal management & preselection for solder limits presented at the 2008 IPC/APEX designers summit.
UL iQTM for plastics database
Besides testing and certifying plastics, UL has developed UL iQTM for plastics, a powerful database free to users that allows the preselection of materials by providing searches of more than 60,000 grades of UL-Recognized plastics based on the requirements of a specific application. Search by product specifications, company name, file name, generic family, grade and description to get the appropriate plastic. It also facilitates the preselection of materials based on RoHS compliance.
Additional resources
Download an overview of UL's plastics services.
