Product Certifications
NI products intended for sale and use globally comply with the applicable international requirements, such as product safety, EMC, and RoHS. NI products are generally covered by some or all of the following certifications and declarations.
Standards and Certification Descriptions
CE & UKCA
European Union Directives & UK Regulations
The CE & UKCA marks are affixed to products to indicate compliance with all applicable European Union Directives and corresponding UK Regulations. These directives may include the Low Voltage Directive (for products with input of 50 - 1,000 Vac or 75 - 1,500 Vdc), the EMC Directive, the RoHS Directive, the Radio Equipment Directive, the ATEX Directive, and potentially others. Applicable corresponding UK Regulations are listed in each UK DoC.
KC
Korean EMC Certification
Korea requires EMC testing and certification for many electronic products. Korean EMC certifications are issued by National Radio Research Agency (RRA). EMC testing includes electromagnetic interference (EMI) and susceptibility (EMS). Certified equipment is labeled with the KC mark and certification number.
Product Safety
North American Product Safety
Marks such as ETL, UL, CSA, and TUV indicate that a product has been certified by an independent product safety testing and certification organization and determined to have met the applicable requirements. Products are also periodically checked at the manufacturers' facility. The mark indicates compliance with U.S. (UL) and Canadian (CSA) safety standards such as, UL 61010-1 and CSA C22.2 No. 61010-1.
European Union Product Safety Certification
Notified Bodies are accredited in Europe for testing and certification according to European Norms (e.g., EN 61010-1 safety). The primary goal of the Notified Body is to protect the health of the consumer and to provide independent EU third-party support for suppliers' CE marking. Examples of Notified Bodies are Intertek, Demko, VDE, and TUV. Notified Bodies are listed in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ).
Hazardous Locations
North American Hazardous Locations Certification
Marks such as ETL and UL indicate that a product has been evaluated by a third party certification body for use in hazardous locations where explosive atmospheres may be present. Many NI CompactRIO (cRIO) and CompactDAQ (cDAQ) products are listed for use in hazardous locations, and where marked classified as follows: Class I, Division 2, Groups A,B,C,D T4, Class I, Zone 2, AEx nA IIC T4 Gc, and Ex nA IIC T4 Gc.
Ex - European Union Hazardous Locations Certification (ATEX)
The Ex Type Examination Certificate is a statement from an independent Notified Body verifying compliance with the essential requirements of EU Directive 2014/34/EU. NI CompactRIO products are Ex certified according to EN 60079-0/-15 for use in Zone 2 explosive atmospheres, where marked with type of protection II 3G Ex nA IIC T4 Gc
IECEx –INTERNATIONAL HAZARDOUS LOCATIONS CERTIFICATION
The IECEx Certificate of Conformity is a statement from a IECEx Certification Body (ExCB) verifying compliance with explosive atmospheres standards. NI Compact RIO (cRIO) products are IECEx certified according to IEC 60079-0/-15 for use in Zone 2 hazardous locations, where marked with type of protection Ex nA IIC T4 Gc
NI products which have the IECEx certification are general purpose products intended for use in both ordinary environments and certain hazardous locations/explosive environments. However, some countries require country specific certifications for products used in hazardous locations. If the certifications listed here and/or marked on the products are not sufficient to meet the legal requirements for a particular country, then these products should not be used in hazardous location applications in that country.
Marine Approval
Marine Approval
Marine Type Approval from an independent certification authority is a necessity for products which are used aboard sea-going ships and off-shore oil/gas platforms. Lloyd's Register (LR) and ABS are a certification of assessment by a third-party attesting to a product's conformity with national and international standards, and verification of the manufacturers production quality system. Marine Type Approval applies to products for use in marine and offshore applications, industrial plant and processes, and the information technology sector. In addition to ensuring the product meets appropriate safety standards for a marine environment, Marine Type Approval ensures that the products performance is maintained in marine environmental conditions.
Functional Safety
Functional Safety
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) defines functional safety in the IEC 61508-0: 3.1 standard as “part of the overall safety that depends on a system or equipment operating correctly in response to its inputs.” In the article “IEC 61508 Explained,” the IEC further states, “Functional safety is the detection of a potentially dangerous condition resulting in the activation of a protective or corrective device or mechanism to prevent hazardous events arising or providing mitigation to reduce the consequence of the hazardous event.” Exida, a certifying agency for functional safety, states, “The goal of functional safety is to design an automatic safety function that will perform the intended function correctly or the system will fail in a predictable (safe) manner.” Performing the intended function is based on the reliability of the system, and failing in a predictable manner is based on the safety design of the system.
"Standards" are technical product assessment and testing rules for safety/EMC conformity. Examples of International standards for Measurement, Control and Laboratory Equipment are IEC/EN/UL/CSA 61010-1 for product safety and IEC/EN 61326 for EMC. Standards are essential in helping ensure public safety and to instill confidence in product quality.
There are literally thousands of standards covering a wide range of topics. UL has developed more than 800 standards for safety, and there are well over 5,000 International (IEC) and European (EN) standards. Because of EU Directives (laws) on CE marking and increased consumer awareness in safety/EMC quality, IEC and EN standards have become the de facto standards for product design and testing worldwide.
"Certification" is an attestation from an accredited Certification Body that a product or component complies with the relevant standard/s. European testing laboratories and certification organizations, known as Notified Bodies for safety and Competent Bodies for EMC, are independent third-parties for product certification in the European Union. Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) are sanctioned by OSHA and ANSI for safety testing and certification of products in North America. UL and CSA are NRTLs, and VDE, TUV and Demko are Notified Bodies.
Millions of products and components are tested and certified to North American (UL/CSA) and International/European (IEC/EN) standards. Compliance with standards and product certification means consumers live in a safer environment than they would have otherwise.