Time to get into the nitty gritty details. Here is what I know: UL adopted IEC 1010-1 (including Amendment I), made a few changes/deviations, and calls it UL 3101-1. It was published in 1993. It is their attempt to harmonize with the European standard for laboratory equipment. In the old days we had to evaluate to UL 1262 for domestic and IEC 1010 for European requirements. Now the standards are *"substantially"* similar. BEWARE, there are significant differences!
IEC came out with IEC1010-1 in 1990. It was amended once in Jan. 92 (Amendment I) and again in Aug. 95 (Amendment II). Of course now IEC is changing their numbering system so the document that was IEC1010-1 is now IEC 61010-1. EN 61010-1 came out in 1993 and - like the UL 3101-1 standard - included IEC1010-1 Amendment I. EN 61010-1 has since been amended in 1995. As far as I can tell, this amendment incorporates the IEC 61010-1 amendment II. Regarding your, "UL 1262 is it for now." comment: At the present time UL has two standards for laboratory equipment, UL 1262 and UL 3101. To make matters more interesting, the scope of 3101 includes equipment for "measurement and test" and for "computing devices". I have been told by an ex-UL-employed colleague that UL 1262 is no longer being used for new evaluations of lab equipment. He said that it is only being used for existing products as long as there are no changes to that product. In other words, if you were evaluated for UL 1262 compliance you may continue to bear the UL Laboratory Equipment registration as long as you don't change the product. Anyone from UL have any comments on this matter? -Mark Werlwas, Product Safety Engineer, [email protected] History: ---------- | From: [email protected] | | Hello Mark, | | The current international equivalent of UL 3101-1 is IEC 61010-1, not | EN 61010-1. Also, if UL is phasing out 1262, what is the US National | Standard for Laboratory Equipment going to be? UL 1262 is it for now. | | Regards, | Ron Wellman | [email protected] | ______________________________ Reply Separator _ | | From: MartinJP | | | | What domestic and international product safety and EMC | requirements | | would laboratory equipment used for diagnostic applications fall | | under? | | ============================================================== | For domestic try UL3101-1 _Electrical Equipment for Laboratory Use; Part | 1: General Requirements_. The international version of this standard is | EN601010-1:1993. If you buy the UL version then you will not need to buy | the EN/IEC version since the UL version incorporates the text of the | EN/IEC standard. | | Be advised that the old UL Laboratory Equipment standard, UL1262, is | being phased out and should only be applied to existing equipment. I | have been told that UL will not use the old 1262 standard for new | products or for substantial changes to existing products. | | Be sure to read the scope carefully when applying it to your product. | Note that UL deviates from EN/IEC in regard to the scope of the | standard. | | You will find the (3101/1010) standard much easier to meet than the | medical equipment standards. | | -Mark Werlwas | Product Safety Engineer | [email protected] | | |
