Does a UL Certified Industrial Control Panel Certification Cover the Equipment That It Controls?

[This article first appeared in the IAEI Magazine 2025 Spring edition]

A certification from UL Solutions for an enclosed industrial control panel only covers the control panel and not the connected loads or equipment that the panel controls. UL Solutions certifies enclosed industrial control panels for compliance with ANSI/UL 508A, the Standard for Industrial Control Panels, under the product category Industrial Control Panels (NITW). The UL Solutions guide information and certifications (listings) for Industrial Control Panels (NITW) can be located on the Product iQ® site; enter NITW in the search field. Searching the Product iQ(R) database is complimentary; however, registration is required to access additional information on search results.

The guide information for NITW details the scope of the certification and describes how panels are marked to identify that they are UL Certified under NITW. The NITW guide information states: “An industrial control panel does not include the controlled loads, including motors, luminaires, heaters or utilization equipment. An enclosed industrial control panel is comprised of the enclosure, all components located within the enclosure and all components mounted to the walls of the enclosure.”

The UL Certification or Listing Mark for these products includes the UL symbol together with the words “CERTIFIED” and “SAFETY,” the geographic identifier(s), and a file number, or the UL symbol with the word “LISTED” and a control number.  In addition, a product name consisting of “Open Industrial Control Panel,” “Enclosed Industrial Control Panel” or “Industrial Control Panel Enclosure” appears with the UL Mark or on the product near the UL Mark.

A UL Certification for an enclosed industrial control panel covers both the enclosure and the provided panel. Look for a product identity describing a panel as an enclosed industrial control panel. UL Certified open panels will be marked as open industrial control panels. A UL Certification for an industrial control panel enclosure covers only the enclosure; the compatibility of the enclosure and the installed equipment and associated wiring has not been investigated unless a panel is identified as an enclosed industrial control panel as part of the UL Mark.

Robotic equipment and machinery

Robotic equipment and machinery present additional casualty hazards in addition to fire and electric shock due to moving parts and automated processes. These are addressed in standards specific to this equipment and the associated hazards. It is imperative that the equipment be certified for compliance with the specific standards related to this equipment. In addition, both robotic equipment and machinery are evaluated for functional safety if the equipment performs safety-related functions.

Robotic equipment is certified for compliance with ANSI/UL 1740, the Standard for Robots and Robotic Equipment, and has been investigated with respect to risks of electric shock, fire and injury to persons under the product category Robots and Robotic Equipment (TETZ). This category covers robots, integrated work cells, programmable production equipment, remote sensing equipment, robotic servo power supplies and similar equipment.  The UL Solutions guide information and certification information for TETZ is available via Product iQ®.

The UL Certification or Listing Mark for these products includes the UL symbol together with the words “CERTIFIED” and “SAFETY,” the geographic identifier(s), and a file number, or the UL symbol with the word “LISTED” and a control number.  In addition, a product name consisting of “Robot” or other appropriate product name as identified in the individual certifications will appear with the UL Mark or on the product near the UL Mark.

Machinery is certified for compliance with UL 2011, the Outline of Investigation for Machinery, under the product category Machinery (GPNY). (Search “GPNY” in Product iQ® for more information on this product category.)

This category covers machines intended for general industrial use, operating from a voltage of 1000 V or less, intended for installation in ordinary locations, in accordance with NFPA 70®, National Electrical Code® (NEC).

GPNY covers the following types of machines, complying with NFPA 79, Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery:  assembly machines, car wash systems, factory automation equipment, industrial additive manufacturing machines, inspection/testing machines, machine tools, material-handling machines, packaging machines, pick-and-place machines, plastics machinery and wood machinery.

The UL Certification or Listing Mark for these products includes the UL symbol together with the words “CERTIFIED” and “SAFETY,” the geographic identifier(s), and a file number, or the UL symbol, with the word “LISTED” and a control number. In addition, the product name, such as “Additive Manufacturing Equipment,” “Car Wash System,” “Factory Automation Equipment” or “Machinery” will appear as part of the UL Mark or on the product near the UL Mark.

UL Certification of limited-production equipment

Product-specific robotic equipment or machinery certification may be overlooked because this type of equipment is often manufactured in a small production run or as a unique, one-of-a-kind machine. To address these instances, both robotic equipment and machinery can be certified through limited-production certification that covers single pieces of equipment or equipment manufactured in a limited quantity of a single production run. To achieve UL Certification, this limited-production equipment must meet all of the same requirements as equipment produced under continuous production runs, except there is no ongoing surveillance (UL Solutions Follow-Up Services).

Each piece of equipment is evaluated, and UL Certification does not apply after the single run. UL Certification is associated with a serial number or other discrete identifier of the limited-production equipment. Limited-production certification does not extend to other pieces of equipment that may bear the same model number, as the certification applies only to the specific piece that has been evaluated. In addition to a UL Certification Mark on the product, UL Solutions also issues a certificate of compliance. See the guide information for each respective product category, TETZ or GPNY, for more detailed information on the UL Solutions limited-production certification.

Whether the equipment only has a certified industrial control panel or is not certified as an overall assembly, a UL Solutions field evaluation may meet your needs.