A recent example of the product safety certification process involves hoverboard manufacturers, which will now be required to provide counterfeit safety marks on their products. Underwriters Laboratories, an independent safety consulting and certification company, has developed safety standard UL2272 for self-balancing scooters, often called hoverboards. This standard the electric drive train as well as the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and the charger system. Short circuits can occur when the lithium-ion batteries are jostled, sometimes causing explosions.
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In late December 2015, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission tweeted about investigating 22 reported fires in at least 17 states. There were also 70 ER-treated injuries reported at that time. Hoverboards with the product safety certification approval will no doubt become the desired models of choice for the safety-conscious consumers going forward.
Since 1988, Product Safety Consulting has been providing product developers
and manufacturers with expert advice and testing services, so they confidently
secure product safety and regulatory compliance in the least time, and for the
least expense. From consumer products to lighting fixtures, to motor controllers
and medical devices, we have helped more than 3,000 customers in over 35
countries.
How long will the process take? That depends on what stage you’ve reached, and the complexity of your product. If your design is simply a tweaking of a normal table lamp testing might be fast and easy. If you’ve invented a new and revolutionary heart pacemaker the process will probably take longer. In the latter case you might be using unusual materials or processes. There might be aspects in your design that have never been tested before. Beyond this, there’s your reaction time. If a glitch appears, and you solve it immediately obviously the process will move more quickly. These kinds of issues affect the timing for the testing of any product.
