Product Certifications

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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

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 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.

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.